Dadditude
by wrestlefan4
Summary: Matt and Blaze seem to have the perfect life. They are happy in their relationship, all is well. Little do they know ex-g/f Jilly is about to change their lives with one anouncement: he's your son. Follow the regular cast of characters on another journey.
1. Chapter 1: The Bitch is Back

Chapter 1

Blaze peeked over Matt's newspaper. He was not one to read it often. Matt looked up at his partner taking a break from the article he was reading. Blaze hooked a leg over the arm of the couch.

"Watcha readin'?"

"Look, they nailed the bastard. They finally got him and he confessed to everything."

Blaze smiled seeing the article. That ass-hole's face was posted on the front page. He had confessed to raping Kody along with other rapes and the stabbing of Shannon nearly a year ago.

"Rot in hell fuck-face!" Blaze flipped off the growling man in the photo. Matt folded up the paper and tossed it onto the coffee table. He pulled Blaze into his lap and kissed him.

"You make me feel special!" Blaze kidded in a silly falsetto.

"Special Ed." Matt teased back and brushed some of Blaze's blonde hair away from his amazing eyes.

"I am not special ed…I'm gifted and talented." He kissed Matt fiercely. "See?"

"Uh-huh…" Matt's pocket started to buzz. "Hey, move a minute."

Blaze moved to the cushion next to Matt as Matt dug his phone out. A perplexed look crossed his features when he looked down at the number. He answered reluctantly with a questioning: "Hello?" Blaze retrieved the folded paper and started to read the article about the arrest and confessions of the boogey-man who had hurt his friends. After a few minutes Matt hung up and sighed loudly.

"What?"

"That was my ex Jillanna. For some reason she's in North Carolina and she wants to stop by for a visit." Matt's eyebrows furrowed together making him look annoyed.

"Can I be mean to her?" Blaze pleaded. "Please, can I please?"

"We'll see…" Matt's expression softened a bit and a smile curved his lips. "Get back over here, we were in the middle of something."

Kody had gotten the call from the police that the man, Ramone Perez, had finally been tracked down. He had confessed to everything. For some time she had been horrified at the thought of having to go to court and face him as the only witness who knew his face. It had taken nearly a year but he had finally goofed up enough that the police had caught him and he had confessed. Kody was saved from going to court. She sighed and spread the newspaper with the man's photo onto a part of the floor near the French doors which sported a newly installed doggy door. Harley had just turned five and he got a puppy for his birthday. It was still learning where to piddle and where not to. The little dog barked and yipped at Kody's bare feet. She scooped it up and sat it right on the picture of the man who had raped her nearly a year ago.

"That's where you go, right there." She gave the dog a scratch behind its ears and it thumped its back leg enjoying.

"Mom, I'm ta-akin' Eddie out to play." Harley picked up the wiggling little creature and tucked it under his arm and bounded out onto the deck where he let the puppy down. It shook itself making its ears flop around and then bounced off clumsily with Harley chasing after it. Kody smiled and turned to the little girl who was banging her chubby hands onto her highchair tray. Kody dropped a kiss atop the baby's head which sported dirty blonde hair like her father. She looked up at her mommy with dark eyes and she gave her mother a big grin, showing off her teeth which poked out of her pink gums here and there. She giggled and smeared smooshed peas on her face and in her hair. Kody cleaned her face and hair as she fussed and squabbled. The baby wrinkled up her Hardy nose and made her cheeks turn red.

"Miss Shawna Cheyenne Hardy, I'm just making you nice and pretty. You don't have the right skin tone for a pea-green color my love."

The baby scowled back at her unhappy with her face washing.

"No." She slammed her little fists onto the tray splattering Kody with the squashed vegetables. "Momma, no!"

Kody hoisted her out of the highchair and wiped her hands off before putting her down to totter around to see what she could get into. Kody set out to clean the tray and the spatters that had made their way to the floor.

She had finished and was just standing up when Eddie charged through the doggy door in a slipping, sliding, flurry of paws, fur, and mud. Her eyes widened as the dog skittered across the tile kitchen floor and bolted for the living room.

"No!" She shrieked.

Harley ran in behind the dog yelling its name scolding it. His clothes dawned dirty little paw prints as he ran through the kitchen further smearing the mud the dog had traipsed in.

Kody chased after the dog and her son and managed to grab the puppy before it leaped up to the couch and destroyed it. The puppy looked up at Kody with big innocent brown eyes and it yapped at her.

"You, my four-legged foe, are in trouble."

The dog whined up at her and then buried his dirty face into her chest trying to rub his muzzle clean.

"You little beast!" Kody scolded the dog rather playfully. It was too cute to get seriously mad at. She shut it up in a little crate they had for it and it whimpered and scratched at the door. Kody looked around at the mess and sighed.

"Sorry Mom." Harley offered looking down at the ruined floor. "Want me to mo-op the floor?"

"It's okay Big H, just go put those clothes in the laundry and wash up."

"Ha-ree!" Shawna shouted at her brother as he pulled his shirt off over his head and tossed it into a pink clothes basket. She padded over to him and clapped her hands. "Ha-ree!"

"Shawna, I don't got ti-ime for ba-aby stuff." He stripped down to his underwear then went into the bathroom to wash up a bit. Shawna followed him curiously. Her eyes widened when she spied the wash cloth in his hand. She screeched at the top of her lungs.

"No! No wash!" She waddled out of the bathroom leaving her brother to himself.

Jeff came in to find his wife scowling down at Eddie. The little dog cowered up at her with his ears drawn back sorrowfully and his little brows slanted together ruefully. Her expression wobbled between a scowl and a look of amusement. The dog was so cute she would never stay mad at it. She finally sighed and bent sweeping the pup into her arms and cuddling it.

"Cuddle me, cuddle me!" Jeff begged playfully. He dropped a couple of grocery bags onto the table.

"This little mongrel made a big mess today." She grinned and let the puppy lick her nose. She put him down and he ran to Jeff and waggled his tail happily. Jeff stooped and scratched the dogs ears as Kody started to stash the groceries away. She kept the chicken out and opened the package dumping the meat onto a cutting board. She started to cut it in to cubes and she felt Jeff close behind her snaking his arms around her waist as she chopped.

"Mmm…you're so sexy." His hot breath tickled her neck. His lips brushed and pressed against her skin softly.

"Jeff…I'm still in my pajama's, my hair is not washed or brushed, and I smell like baby wipes, peas, and dog."

"Perfect." He said running the tip of his tongue up her neck and behind her ear. She squirmed and giggled.

"Jeff…ouch!" She drew her hand away from the cutting board and looked down at her finger which was beading with a small drop of blood. "Alas, I fear I have been mortally wounded!" She dramatized pretending to swoon. Jeff took her hand gently and kissed her fingers one by one and then he turned her around and kissed her lips. They were getting lost in their moment. His lips pushed at hers and she parted hers to allow his tongue to invade. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he moved his kisses down over her bottom lip, her chin, down her neck, she let out a pleased sigh. Jeff hoisted her up and sat her on the counter and started to take her shirt up over her head.

"Jeff…"

"Yeah?" He stopped with her shirt pushed up to her bra. She started to giggle and he blinked at her perplexed.

"Baby, you sat me on our dinner."

She slid off the counter and turned around showing him a few chicken chunks stuck to the ass of her pajamas. A couple of them fell off and landed on the floor. Eddie magically appeared out of nowhere and slurped the treats up eagerly. Jeff pressed Kody to his chest and they both burst out laughing so hard they were starting to cry.

Harley pulled out a chair and sat at the table looking over at his parents and raising an eyebrow at them. They were hugging each other and laughing and snorting at what appeared to be nothing.

"Dad? Mo-om?"

The two turned and looked at their son who had a questioning look on his face. Kody wiped at her eyes.

"Hey H."

"What a-are we havin' for dinner?"

Jeff and Kody turned and locked eyes for a moment before rupturing with laughter again.

Kody cleaned up the chicken feeling kind of bad that it was wasted. She dumped it into Eddie's bowl and he gorged himself on it and then curled up under the table to sleep it off. Jeff ordered pizza to the joy of Harley who would live on the stuff alone if Kody allowed him to.

The little family sat around the table eating pizza. Shawna was banging on her tray and making a new mess, this time with Spaghetti-O's. Harley told his mom and dad all about school and about his cute little girl friend Izzy. Jeff smiled over at his son. He was already a little ladies man. Jeff grabbed another piece of pizza and turned to Kody who was trying unsuccessfully to wipe her daughters face off.

"Hey Babe, guess who's going to be in the area for a visit?"

Kody shrugged her shoulders and struggled with Shawna who banged loudly on her tray.

"No no no!" She picked up her bowl in her grubby hands and tossed it to the floor and then laughed at it. "Oops…mess."

"Shawna…" Kody grumbled to her daughter.

"Jilly." Said Jeff over a mouthful of pizza. Kody looked up at him surprised.

"Mom, can I-I go play with Eddie in my roo-oom?"

Kody nodded letting her son be excused from the table. She bent and picked up Shawna's discarded bowl.

"The bitch is back." Kody quipped and sniffed. "Ew, stinky Shawna." She smirked at Jeff. "Wanna change her?"

"I'm eating…"

"You're making excuses."

"Yeah."

She found his leg under the table and prodded at it with her toes. He ignored her footsy.

"Can you believe it? Matt called and told me earlier." Jeff said avoiding being drafted into diaper duty. Shawna started to bawl and Kody lifted her out of her highchair and bobbed the little girl up and down on her hip.

"Wonder what she wants with Matt?" Kody said as she disappeared in the other room to change Shawna.

Blaze was making spaghetti in the kitchen and Matt kept hovering around teasing and flirting. Even the news that his ex fiancée was coming around hadn't bothered him as much as he had expected it too. He was so happy in his life with Blaze that he had become much more relaxed and easy going over the five years their relatioship had now spanned. It sounded hellishly corny to say, but it was kind of like the part of the story that reads "and they lived happily ever after". He knew it was really goofy but that's what he felt like living here with Blaze, his soul mate. He felt he was living his happily ever after.

"Taste this." Blaze cupped his hand under the wooden spoon to make sure to catch any drips. Matt tasted the sauce and gave a thumbs up.

"Tastes awesome, just like you." Matt left a kiss on his lips and Blaze pretended to be embarrassed.

"Aw, you're so cute." He said stirring the sauce.

Matt wrapped his arms around Blaze's waist. Matt turned when there was a knock at the door. Blaze eyed Matt over his shoulder to sneak a glance at his backside as he left the kitchen to answer the door.

Matt opened the door to see her standing there. He didn't feel anger or sadness at seeing her face once again. He felt contentment because her face didn't matter to him anymore. She squinted at him with her harsh green eyes. Her red hair caught the sunlight making it look like crazy fire.

"Matthew." She was mad because he had such a placid look on his face. He had a happy look on his face, God, the man was smiling at her. What was wrong with him? "Are you going to let me in or leave me on the doormat?"

She was sharp, succinct, to the point as usual. She expected some smart remark from him but what she received was a kind gesture for her to enter his home. It looked closely the same as she had remembered it from five years prior, but there were small differences here and there. It had a different vibe to it. Someone else was living here with him. She looked around the room before sitting on the couch.

"So, do you have a girlfriend now?"

She doesn't know. How could she not know? Jeeze it was everywhere when people discovered Blaze and I were together. Matt thought back remembering the chaos. People come out everyday but when you're a well-known face it's kind of weird for everyone involved. There had been many jokes and sideways glances in the locker room for a while. On the other hand, a lot of their friends and colleagues didn't care. Matt Hardy was still Matt Hardy as far as they were concerned. You always have the people who will stick by no matter what. Then you have the ones who will stick their noses in no matter what. But things of course settled down and there was little stigma surrounding the couple these days. How could she honestly not know? Oh yeah, she's Jilly, she's in her own selfish little world and all she pays attention to is herself, thought Matt. He wasn't bitter, that was just the truth. He sat down next to her.

"I don't have a girlfriend." He answered casually but Jilly still squinted at him as if she was trying to zap him with heat vision.

"Well, I'm engaged." She held up her ring and smirked at him. She was hoping for some reaction but once again he put a damper on things when he just smiled and congratulated her. She was becoming completely flummoxed at his behavior.

She's never seen me really happy before, Matt realized. His smile widened. This was kind of fun. She's pissed because I'm happy and I'm not reacting to her.

"The thing is…" Jilly went on holding her hand at a distance and examining how her ring reflected the light. "Brock and I want to start our lives out fresh and clean with just us. No strings attached."

Matt's dark eyebrows drew together a bit. What did all this have to do with him? Maybe she was just making small talk. Blaze appeared next to the couch where Matt sat. He had on an apron that said 'kiss the cook'. Who is this? Jilly wondered. He looked like he was probably a wrestler but she hadn't followed wrestling after she and Matt parted ways. He had the body for it, she could tell. He was built similar to Matt but a little more defined from the look of his arms which she could see because his pink shirt sleeves were rolled up. Despite his build he seemed a bit feminine. It had to be his face and hair. He was kind of baby faced with lips that were not masculine but pretty. His eyes were big and blue and long lashes fluttered when he blinked. His hair was a soft blonde and long and it fell over his face in a girlish sort of way. She wrinkled her nose slightly. He seemed gay.

"You must be Jillanna." Blaze extended his hand and she took it reluctantly. She noted his left hand was holding a wooden spoon with some sort sauce on it. From the nice aromas drifting through the house she deduced it was something Italian. On that hand was also a gold band. Her eyes danced first to Blaze and then to Matt as she was putting two and two together. Matt likewise wore a gold band. Are you kidding me? She wasn't sure what to say. Matt chuckled at the expression on her face as she started to understand. He decided to make it cut and dry for her.

"Jilly, this is my partner Blaze."

Her mouth fell open a bit but she quickly shut it with a click.

"Well…okay."

Blaze felt a bit awkward so he retreated to the kitchen to check on the food. This is not fair, thought Jilly. He's thrown me off balance. I am the one who was supposed to throw him. I am supposed to be in control of this situation. She gathered herself and spoke.

"Matt, I have someone I would like you to meet too. Since we're coming out with secrets…" She added and left the house to go out to her car. Matt figured she was bringing in her fiancée. Instead she re-entered half dragging a little red-headed freckle-faced boy who looked a hell of a lot like Jilly. She said nothing. It was Matt's turn to feel uncomfortable and squirm. She watched as her ex looked from the little boy then up to her comparing the resemblance. So what, she has a kid, thought Matt. But that wasn't it. Matt took in the child next to his mother. Jilly watched as he figured the boy's approximate age. Matt got up and walked closer and stopped. He was piecing it together. Yes, thought Jilly. He's seeing it. She ruffled the little boys' crazy curls and he glared up at her.

"Stop it Mom!" He barked and wiggled his hand loose of hers. The boy turned his scowl from Jilly to Matt. "So, is that the dick-face that's supposed to be my Dad?" The little boy questioned.

"Matthew, this is Morgan." She smiled, pleased with the look on Matt's face. "Morgan Hardy." She added with a glint in her emerald eyes. "He's your son."


	2. Chapter 2: Help!

_Okay…quick note before chapter 2. Thank you so much to those who read and especially to Hatter-Zombie and Daisy Doodle Bug for reviews, you guys are very loyal about it and it really makes my day. So…I keep having a feeling that "Roses and Thorns" was missing something. I mean it was time to end it and get Jeff and Kody back together and that's how it was meant to be and work out, I liked that. Something is just nagging at me that it is lacking something. I'm pondering over this as I work on the third fic. Also please if you have any criticisms about my writing let me know, you don't have to always say good things although I do like to hear it. But pointing out weak parts or things help me push myself to write better. I am trying really hard with this third fic, because I loved the first fic and although I did like the third I did feel unsatisfied with the third somehow, and I don't like that feeling. I am trying to focus a little more on the actual writing and not just the story of it if that makes sense. I don't want it to be rushed and hurried I want it to be really awesome so I don't feel like I missed something. It's driving me nuts. Maybe it will come to me, but I'm taking up too much with this! So--_

Chapter 2

His piercing green eyes blinked up at Matt from beneath his fiery red hair. Matt barely noticed that Blaze had made his way back into the living room and was standing just a little behind him. He was curious about the little boy standing next to Jilly with his freckled arms crossed over his little chest and his brows bunched together. Blaze felt a strange familiarity in the irritated look on the kids face. It dawned on him slowly. Matt was very seldom exasperated with his partner but when he was…that look crossed his handsome dark features. Blaze found Matt's hand and Matt flinched a bit. He hadn't realized Blaze was there.

"Gross…guys don't hold hands." The little boy announced eyeing the two men who looked shocked before him.

"Well your father does, I guess."

"I don't want no queer father!" The little boy shouted. "Mom, I wanna go home!"

Jilly scowled down at her son's upturned face. He glared right back at her. Unreal, she thought to herself. It's like looking in to a mirror sometimes. The two of them were constantly fighting because they were so much alike. He had to have his way and that was that…except for the fact that Jilly was his mother and she felt that she was the center of the universe and things went her way because she ordered them to. Mother and son stood for a few moments exchanging irked glances. They were playing this game again, who is going to break away first.

Not me, thought Morgan. Stupid Mom, why would she bring me here to meet this guy anyway? Hell if this little brat is going to gain the upper hand, Jilly barked to herself in her thoughts. I am the mother and his ass is mine, not the other way around. Neither had to break, it was Matt who interrupted.

"Hi Morgan…" He said for lack of words at what to say when he was just introduced to his son. His resentment for Jilly and her past treatment of him no longer existed, but unfortunately, new resentment was building up already. She had known about this for what…five years? She's just now telling me I have a son because it's convenient for her. This woman is unreal. Matt wondered what he could have possibly seen in her. It was beyond him how he could have thought he was in love with her. He was so glad she had left that ring sitting on his knee. He now had Blaze because of it and his love life was no longer a broken heart beating in his chest or a bold unanswered question mark in his mind. At least that much was settled, but now this. Matt thought of her words: Brock and I want to start our lives fresh, no strings attached. The string she was referring to is a human being, my son. Said kid snarled at his father.

Blaze watched Matt's expression. There was the irritated look that matched the one formerly etched on the little boys face.

"Jilly…we really need to talk about things. Morgan…" Matt spied his dog curled up on the couch. He scooped the little animal up in his arms and the dog sent him a perplexed look. All it was doing was sleeping and suddenly its master had whisked it away from its contented slumber. The dog's eyes widened as it saw the two red-heads. It looked up at Matt as though questioning him: Are they allowed in here or should I bark? Matt thrust the little dog toward the freckled boy.

"This is Lucas…why don't you play with him while your Mom and I talk?"

Matt felt a bit nervous as he relinquished his dog to his newly discovered son. The little boy had a mischievous spark in his bright eyes that Matt didn't like. He sent a glance to Blaze as he followed Jilly outside to talk. Lucas yelped pitifully as the little boy tugged on his ears.

"Don't hurt him…play nice." Blaze tried, unsure what to do. The boy sneered up at him and challenged.

"What are you gonna do about it? You look like a girl to me."

Blaze was already getting a sour feeling in his stomach. It was turning and tumbling and making him feel nauseous. Jilly had only just now let Matt know about his son. She was probably trying to dump the kid off. Blaze sighed as the kid pulled on Lucas's tail. The dog managed to dart away and into the kitchen. Blaze pursed his lips at the boy.

"What? You ain't my Mom."

The scents of Italian seasonings had vanished when Matt had shut the door behind him. Out here it was freshly mowed grass and lilacs permeating the air. It would have been a rather pleasurable scent but Jilly's presence alone kept him from mustering up any enjoyment. Matt paced up and down his porch. His anger was just rising and rising like a thermometer on a hot July day. With every word Jilly was saying she was sending him closer and closer to snapping on her. The more he thought about it the more he couldn't believe that she had not even had the decency to call him and say 'oh by the way…' No, of course not. Jillanna had to wait five fucking years and then pop up with a smug look on her face and demand that he take his son to let her go gallivanting off to live her own life however she pleased.

"Unreal, you are so selfish, it's insane!" Matt tried to keep his voice down but it was a struggle. He didn't want the boy to hear them fighting.

"How am I selfish for thinking you might want to be involved in your son's life?" She was up and pointing her pale finger at him. Her green eyes accused him, as though he had done something wrong here. She twisted things around to make him look like the one with the problems, ah, how things remain the same.

"Of course I would want to be in his life!" Matt retorted clenching and unclenching his hands. "If I would have known…what happened did it just slip your mind?"

He had taken a few steps toward her and now they stood merely a few inches apart. The tension and anger simmered between the two.

"I can't believe you're gay!" She bit off suddenly, her voice full of disgust. "I knew you were desperate to have someone but…"

"Don't bring Blaze into this! It's not your place to judge my sexuality or our relationship. I love Blaze and he loves me and that is the end of that."

She hoisted herself up on the porch banister and continued to send daggers at him. She ground her teeth together and he waited to see what she would spit out next. She was perturbed at him because he was now assertive and forthcoming in his opinions. He was certainly not the same Matt she had known. He hooked his leg over the banister and likewise made it into a seat. He locked his chocolate-brown eyes with hers.

"You can't just walk off and leave him here, he's what, five? How is he going to take that his mother just leaves him with these two strange guys and walks away…I mean do you even really care about him? Seems like he's just some accessory you decided you didn't want anymore because he clashes with whatever you decided to wear today. He's a person with feelings and emotions you can't just dump him off like that."

"You just used an analogy comparing my son to a fashion accessory…you really are messed up aren't you?"

"No, I am not at all, you are! It's just that's how you're acting." He started to make a mock-girly voice. "Ew, this bag doesn't match my shoes anymore let's toss it in the garbage or pawn it off on some friend who might have reason to want it." He stopped and watched her face contort into rage. "And, just while I'm correcting you on how wrong you are, he's not your son, he's our son."

"You're a prick Matthew, do you know that?"

She hoped down from the railing and smacked his knee as though it would have some affect.

"Okay, look, we can't just argue about this…you just set me off." He took a breath to try to calm the situation. "We need to discuss this like two mature adults."

She eyed him looking him up and down.

"I never used to set you off did I? That was always Jeff, but you? I had you completely and wonderfully pussy whipped. You were like a little lap dog… you were always so eager to please. Some people would have found it sickening. Maybe I shouldn't be surprised that I turned you on to men after all."

"I find you sickening." He shot back, and if to prove his point he crunched up his nose at her. "How I ever thought I loved you or made love to you is a puzzle I'll never be able to piece together."

"You didn't make love to me. Oh Matt, you were hopeless in the sack…like a little kid that keeps falling off his bike when he tries to ride."

"Well, you ask Blaze, it's a little different now, God what did you expect? You always had me walking on egg shells or weeping in your arms. I never saw it at the time but I can see it perfectly looking back. Y'know, hindsight's twenty-twenty…you were, let me rephrase that to are, the most manipulative person I have ever known!"

A smirk danced across her pinkish lips. She knew she was manipulative and she was proud of it. She loved hearing him confess to her what she had done to him in the past. For him it might remain a painful memory but for her it was something she cherished. Maybe I am evil, she thought and then she laughed.

"What the hell are you giggling about?" Matt's brows drew together confused. Her laugh was like that cold shiver you get up your spine when you're alone at night and hear a funny noise in the house. In one word, chilling.

"Nothing, Matt." She pressed her lips together tightly and looked down at her high-heeled toes as though she was considering something. After a few more moments she spoke.

"I'm not asking you, I'm telling you, you are going to take him. He's a pain in my ass, we're too much alike. You can probably do better with him than I could. You don't have to make me out to be the devil incarnate, I do love him I pushed him out of my body in a moment I can only describe as hell…and I'm just all too sorry you will never experience that sort of physical pain. Unless you count me in your life…" She laughed again. She expected to see some sign of hurt flash across his features and was annoyed with him when there was none. He just wore the same stern expression he had been regarding her with most of the time she had been here. It pissed her off that she couldn't push his buttons anymore, she was no longer in control of him.

"I'm surprised you want a couple of ass bandits raising your son." Matt laced his voice with obvious sarcasm. Jilly didn't respond. She walked down the steps and turned to look back at Matt.

"So, this is it?"

She laughed even more this time, bursting out into a full flock of cackles.

"Oh, no Matthew, oh no this isn't it. There's the whole thing with custody, I still want to see my son once in a while. Someone's going to have to teach him how to be a man." She quipped giving Matt one last smirk before disappearing into her car. She rolled down the window and hollered at him. "Brock and I are planning to move to Fayetteville so we'll be close. Good-bye for now Matt."

She rolled the window back up and pulled out of the driveway crunching white-rock. Matt growled at her as she left. This woman was insensitive, self-centered, and overall a nasty bitch. Matt walked back in his living room to find Blaze sitting on the stairs looking pretty uncomfortable about something. On second glance, he looked to be in pain. His face was bearing a grimace. Great, now what? Thought Matt.

"Where's Morgan?"

Blaze pointed up the stairs.

"What happened?"

"He kicked me…really hard…" Blaze half-groaned half-gasped.

"Where?"

Blaze rolled his eyes.

"Oh…" Matt left a kiss atop Blaze's blonde locks and bounded upstairs to see what trouble his son was causing already.

"Morgan, Morgan?" Matt went through the house peeking into rooms and trying to hunt down the red-headed rug rat. Matt stopped hearing a whimper coming from the bathroom. He nudged the door opened and his eyes widened when he saw poor little Lucas looking up at him trembling.

"Morgan!" Matt couldn't restrain himself from shouting at the boy. Morgan looked up at him feigning innocence.

"What?"

Matt looked down at his poor little pet. Morgan was holding the dog between his legs and one arm was wrapped around the little animal as well to be sure the dog had no escape. Matt's vanity had been pillaged, doors and drawers hung open with things littered on the floor and hanging out over the edges of the drawers. In Morgan's other hand was the object he had wrecked the drawers to find. It was a disposable shaving razor. Lucas whined up at Matt sorrowfully. The dog's fur was shaved in random patches.

"Give me that…" Matt snatched the razor from Morgan who pooched his lip out and launched into a tantrum. Lucas found his opportunity to flee the mayhem and did so.

"You shaved my dog…" Matt was at a loss. He was plenty used to dealing with Harley who acted up occasionally but nothing like this. Harley had his moments but all in all was a great kid but this little boy seemed to be Jilly's mini-me. He was kicking his feet and banging his fists and head against the floor. He was screaming and crying and causing quite a ruckus. "Morgan…stop this, it's ridiculous…just come here and we can talk about it okay?"

"No!" The boy screamed and went on carrying on in such a manner, red-faced and squalling.

"Fine by me, just keep doing this until you're tired and then I'll tell you what kind of trouble you're in!" Matt figured that was as good of a plan as any. He went into his bedroom leaving Morgan bellowing like a banshee in the bathroom. Matt stooped down and pulled up the edge of his bed covers. He frowned seeing Lucas holed up in a dark corner shivering.

"Come here buddy…it's okay Lucas." He fished the little dog out and cuddled it, surveying the damage that had been done to his fur. Matt sighed and nuzzled the little animal. Lucas crawled from Matt's arms and curled himself up on Blaze's pillow. Morgan wailed and hollered even louder from the bathroom. Matt groaned and did the only thing he could think of.

Jeff traced his fingers slowly up her legs. She'd just got out of the shower but he hadn't allowed her to get dressed. He stopped at her thigh, playing and teasing, then moved on to more intimate parts. Those parts were warm and ready for him and he savored the feel of them and her reactions to his touches. He started to stiffen. She mumbled his name softly. When he pushed and prodded harder she moaned it louder. It was so wonderful to be lost like this together, soft, slow, intimate, perfect. There was no need for rushing they could take all the time they wanted and just savor each little sensation. Her fingernails pressed into his shoulders. He moved his fingers inside of her and again she groaned his name spilling from her lips. He never got tired of hearing it.

"Jeff, are you ready?"

"Yeah baby, I am."

He pulled his fingers out and it was her turn. She smeared hot tender kisses down his chest and belly and stopped just above his erection teasing him as he had toyed with her.

"Should I?" She looked up at him with a smirk curving her lovely lips. He grunted at her.

"Yeah, come on Kody, make me crazy…"

She did so by taking him in her mouth and pleasuring him with the hot wetness of her tongue. She was insanely good at this and Jeff clamped his teeth together in an effort to hold back the moans that were building up inside. At last they burst out despite his efforts to keep a handle on them.

"Kody hurry…ah Kooody…"

She released him from her mouth and took him into another place which likewise was hot and wet. She thrust her hips and they were both rising higher and higher, quicker and quicker, their simmering, sweat-slicked flesh seemed to be melting together. Their cries were an erotic song that only they could harmonize. They came together in a dizzying moment and both of them lay tangled in the sheet staring into each others eyes dazed and pleasured to the fullest extent. It was a perfect moment. They didn't have to say a word. They only had to use their eyes. They were going to go again after a few moments. Kody's hands were inching downwards when the phone rang in the kitchen.

"Damn it…" Kody hissed. She brushed her damp hair away from her face.

"Let it ring." Jeff begged pulling her tight to him and taking her mouth in a deep kiss. They ignored the ringing phone and it eventually silenced. Kody started to touch him again making him swell and harden in her hand. The phone shrilled again and she sighed annoyed with it.

"It must be important…" Jeff slid out from beneath his wife reluctantly. He looked down between his legs. "I guess you'll just have to wait buddy."

Kody laughed at him and pulled on her robe. She was gone a few moments and then came back into the room with a mixture of expressions on her face Jeff couldn't quite read.

"Who was it? What's up?"

"You are." Kody joked and flopped down onto the bed.

"Har-har Mrs. Hardy…you're funny…you should do comedy."

"Stand up comedy?" She smirked and Jeff laughed at her. He touched his nose to hers.

"So who was it?"

"Your brother, the one the only, Matt Hardy."

"What does he want at a time like this? He always calls when we're busy, it never fails." Jeff traced a finger down Kody's neck and to her breast. He then traced a circle around her nipple.

"Jeffy stop it…please. I have to tell you this, it's important."

"Go ahead…" He gazed at her nipple and watched it harden as he drew lazy circles around it with his fingertip.

"Matt called for some parenting advise."

It was now that Jeff stopped, mid circle. He raised his eyebrows confused at her statement.

"Why would he call for…" His brows now drew together in a scowl. "Jilly, that's what this little pop-corn visit was about wasn't it? That bitch! Matt has a kid?"

"From the sound of it, more like a monster." Kody quipped. Her expression told Jeff that she felt some sort of pity for his brother.

"What could he have done that's really that bad?"

"He called Matt a dick face, said he didn't want a queer father, kicked Blaze in a sensitive area, shaved Lucas, and is as we speak throwing a conniption on the bathroom floor."

Jeff couldn't help himself. He started to laugh. Soon Kody was laughing too. It was really not funny, but then again, it kind of was.

"Poor Matt," Jeff managed as his laughter subsided. "We'll have to give him parenting lessons."

"The blind leading the blinder." Kody kidded and kissed her husband. "I felt so bad, he answered the phone and he sounded so desperate, all he said was, Help!"

Kody and Jeff broke up into chuckles again. After that, they got back to their love making.

_Please review, thank you muches loves!! _


	3. Chapter 3: Don't Get Caught

_Once again thank you for the reviews and tips I appreciate it very much. You guys are __wonderful and I'm glad you are enjoying my writing. Quick note, I don't know if anyone would notice this but just in case I will explain…it's only a small change. After re-reading chapters one and two I was thinking I made Jilly and Morgans eye color wrong. I checked back with Love: A Twist of Fate and I did have Jilly having green eyes not blue. So I went back and changed Jilly and Morgan to green to remain accurate so from now on they will have green not blue. I'm really anal bout detail…lol. Without further ado: chappy 3._

Chapter 3

Jilly called the next evening to see how the three guys were getting along. It involved a lot of shouting from Morgan until Matt relinquished the phone to him so he could talk to his mother. Morgan ordered his mother to come and get him but she refused. The little boy locked himself in the bathroom for hours and refused to come out. Matt was reminded of how many times Jilly had done the exact same thing and he felt his head start to ache with a dull, sickening, thud.

Morgan was up there brooding to himself. He had to find a way to go home with his mom. She didn't seem to want to take him back willingly. He felt tears well up in his eyes and he wiped them away before they had any chance to slither down his freckled cheeks. If she wouldn't take him away from this place on nicer terms then he would force her. He had decided the only logical thing to do was to make those two guys so sick of him that they would shove him off on his mother and beg her to get him out of their hair. He was not really a bad kid. Sure, he had a natural mischievous streak in him but he had only started acting really bad after his mom started dating Brock. Morgan was used to his mother being harsh and cold and dating a lot of men but with Brock things were different. Before Brock he could expect his mother to leave him often with baby sitters who were barely old enough to baby-sit themselves. He knew she wasn't as caring and loving as other mothers but at least when she was home he had a piece of her. When she was home it was just Morgan and Mom…until Brock. Jilly moved him in shortly after they started dating. After that Morgan had become nearly invisible to her. The only way he could get her to pay him any attention was to piss her off to no end. The attention she gave him when that happened was negative but at least she was showing that she acknowledged his existence. Morgan hugged his knees and realized he was really crying now. He held back a sob and buried his face into his jean-clad knees and rubbed his nose against the rough denim.

Even though she treated him so he wanted her back. He wanted her to take him back. He wanted her to hug him and hold him instead of being distant and icy towards him. He knew she loved him…at least he hoped she loved him. He told himself that she had to because he was her son. Mom just didn't know how to love him. His stomach started to knot itself up and he felt sick to his stomach. Just before she had brought him here they had a huge fight. He didn't want to meet his father. He knew his mom planned to ditch him he had heard her talking on the phone one night. He was only five but he could catch on to a lot. _Brock and I want to start our lives out fresh, no strings attached._ She had said something like that and Morgan reckoned what she meant was she wanted to erase him from her life. He closed his eyes and recalled the screaming match they had gotten into back in the hotel room just before leaving to drive to his father's house. Brock had slinked away and out of the room to give his ears a rest and Morgan and Jilly had yet another battle.

"_I don't want to meet the dumb fucker, I wanna go home!"Morgan screamed at his mother. He balled his hands into tight little fists._

"_Don't you dare use that kind of language, you dirty-mouthed brat!" She hollered back at him._

"_I don't care what you say, I'm not going!"_

"_You are not my boss you little bastard!"_

"_I'm not goin'! I wanna go home! I don't care who my Dad is, I don't want a Dad!"_

"_Well Morgan, since this seems to be all about you what do you want little boy? Tell me, my wish is your command!" _

_He glared up at his mother with tears threatening to spill over his eyelashes and down his face. His bottom lip quivered and he took in a big shuddery breath before lashing out at her again._

"_I want a Mom that ain't a…a…" He searched for a word. He remembered one he had heard before. He didn't know what it was but girls didn't like to be called that. He yelled that word at his mom finishing his sentence loud and clear. "A cunt!" _

_Suddenly he fell backward. It didn't hurt physically at first it was just a numb-shocked feeling that took over his body for a moment. His mouth hung ajar and his eyes remained unblinking as his mind tried to take in what had just happened. His hand, as though it was acting on its own accord, found its way to his cheek and rested itself there feeling the warm heat that the butt of her hand had left there. He burst out into sobs and pain started to flood his cheek and mouth. He crawled into a corner and sobbed as he managed to open his mouth slowly and very painfully. He tasted blood and something hard swimming around in his mouth. He rested his head between his knees and spat on the floor. In the small little pool of blood and spit was a piece of a broken tooth. He realized his mom was standing over him frantically apologizing to him. He looked up as she scooped him into her arms and took him to the bed. She held him tight to her bossom and rocked him back and forth. He calmed considerably as he enjoyed the feelings of her arms wrapping around him and holding him, comforting him, taking time to be close to him, loving him. He nuzzled into her shoulder and felt fresh tears streak his cheeks._

"_It's okay Mom." It's okay, thought Morgan, you can hit me whenever you want as long as you do this afterwards. He hoped she would just take him home and hold him like this. _

Of course that hadn't been the outcome. She had dragged him over here. Matt had asked him earlier about the bruise on his face and he had lied telling him he had gotten into a fight at school.

Morgan ran his tongue along the rough edge of a broken molar in the back of his mouth. He had to do something to get her back…the idea of never seeing her again terrified him to the point that he started to shake just thinking about it. He could act up, he could think of all kinds of mean things to do, as long as his real plan remained undiscovered. Yeah, it would work…

Matt stood at the bottom of the stairs looking up. His son was up there being a hermit and refusing to come down. Matt had already been upstairs jangling the door handle and trying to coax him out but his efforts were useless. The door was locked and Morgan was not budging. Matt sighed at a loss.

"I have a new respect for parents everywhere." Matt sighed. "I'm glad I never put my father through anything like this. I just hope he comes out of it soon, I mean his Mom just kind of dumped him off I guess that wouldn't make him feel to good, but damn it I'm trying to help and he's just…" Matt shook his head. It started to throb harder, the ache becoming more than dull.

"So what are we going to do?" Blaze's eyebrows slanted upward in a worried expression. He looked up the stairs and then back at Matt who looked really tense. He gave Matt's taut shoulders a rub and felt his partner ease a bit. Matt needed something to calm him down and wasn't that what he was there for to offer support? Blaze knew absolutely nothing about kids so that's about all he could offer. Sure he watched Harley now and then and they had fun playing together when he came over to visit his uncles but Matt's son was completely different from Harley. Harley had the Hardy's easy-going disposition…that had obviously not been incorporated into Morgan's genetic make up.

"Just wait until he gets tired of staring at the toilet. He'll come out eventually." Matt reasoned. "Ah…that feels good…up a little."

Blaze took Matt's shirt over his head and continued to loosen the tightened muscles. Matt let out a contented sigh as he felt Blaze work the knots out of his shoulders and neck. He looks so good…Blaze thought as he looked over Matt's bare torso. I know Morgan is up there and he could come down at any time but how much could a few kisses hurt? Besides it would help Matt feel better right? Blaze thought that a little show of affection would be okay and he gently moved Matt's curly ponytail to the side. He began to use his lips and tongue softly and sensuously rather than his hands. His lips pressed and nudged and his tongue slithered warm and hot over Matt's skin. A pleased smile stretched across Blaze's face at the familiar taste of his lover.

"Are you loosening up?" Blaze teased and blew into Matt's ear and used his tongue and lips to play with it. Matt shuddered as the feel of it drove him crazy. He sometimes felt like putty because Blaze could get to him so easily. Matt grabbed Blazes hand and moved it downward. Matt had begun to grow tight against the denim of his jeans.

"Baby, does that feel loose to you?" Matt questioned. Blaze wrapped his arms around Matt's waist and pulled him back into his body. He rocked his hips slowly up against that fine ass. Matt's breaths came quicker and his skin was slicked with sweat. As if Blaze bumping up against his ass wasn't enough already he disappeared a hand down Matt's pants. The feel of Matt's length throbbing in his fingers made his own grow harder and hungrier inside his pants.

"Oh Matt…" You are getting carried away, Blaze tried to tell himself, but at the same time he wished to ignore it.

Matt could barely keep his legs from collapsing. What Blaze was doing to him felt so insanely awesome. He tried not to lock his knees as Blaze grinded against his backside. The feel of his lover's swollen member bumping his ass made him start to tremble.

"Blaze, Blaze you're amaz--" Matt's panted words were cut off by a groan rising in his throat. Blaze bucked against Matt faster and harder unable to keep up the slower pace as Matt was driving him mad with his grunts and moans. Things had not been meant to go this far, it was supposed to be no more than a nice little back rub but Blaze had taken it too far and now they were both caught up in steaming passion and ravenous urges. He tried to reign in his desires as he thought of the little boy upstairs.

"We-we can't actually do this right now—he-he could come down at any minute and--" Blaze bit into Matt's shoulder to keep from crying out but it was little help because instead Matt cried out.

"Blaze, come on, come on Blaze!"

"Okay…I'm gonna--"

A door upstairs slammed loudly and both men froze. Floorboards creaked upstairs alerting them that Morgan was walking down the hallway toward the stairs.

"Fuck!" Matt hissed under his breath and pulled away from Blaze fumbling with the zipper of his pants.

"Put your shirt on!" Blaze tugged Matt's shirt down over his head. "Wait, it's inside out!"

"Never mind!" Matt made a made dash toward the couch and Blaze sprinted toward the kitchen. Matt wrapped himself in a blanket that normally hung over the back of his couch. He needed something to hide his suspicious inside-out shirt and more importantly to also hide another something else that would have been even more telling. He curled up on the couch cocooned in the cover hoping his son would think he had been sleeping. He tried to steady his breathing and he scrubbed his face into the blanket trying to wipe away the sweat that was dripping down his face and neck. Sure enough, Morgan sulked down the stairs and plopped down onto the couch.

"What are you doin'?" Morgan questioned with a gloomy expression.

"I was…taking a nap. You got tired of being locked in the bathroom?"

"Guess so. Are you sure you were sleepin' down here? I heard you yellin' for Blaze and you look kinda sweaty." Morgan peered at his father blinking his green eyes and wrinkling his nose. "Did you have a nightmare or somethin'?"

"Yeah, I had a nightmare."

_That was a close call. _Matt thought to himself as he looked at his son who was banging his foot on the coffee table. _We're going to have to be more careful and remember it's not just the two of us anymore. We don't want to get caught in a bad moment. _

Morgan watched his dad and a smirk settled on his face.

"Oh yeah…I forgot to tell you, the toilet's stopped up, it's runnin' all over the floor."

Morgan left his Dad on the couch and smiled to himself as Matt headed upstairs to find his bathroom flooded.

_Wow...if I may say so myself. Chapter 4 will probably come soon since I am really in a mood to write tonight. (That is after I hop in a cold shower…lol jk) Please remember to review. Send me a post-card, drop me a line, stating point of view…(Why yes I occasionally burst out into random song—that little line is from"When I'm Sixy-Four" by The Beatles, more specifically Paul McCartney. Ah…more hot guys…at least in my estimation.) Well enough of this drools onto keyboard…lol…Chapter 4 coming soon!) Peace and love fellow fanfic-ers._


	4. Chapter 4: Lovers and Fighters

_This chapter is a bit longer than usual. Thanks to Dark Kaneanite, extremeshan81,iNdy MiLk, and Hatter-Zombie.ate.your.brains for the reviews. I hope you continue to enjoy the story. Also iNdy MiLk you wanted to know about Jeff, Kody, and Harley being in the story…were you implying that you hoped they were included or that you are getting sick of them? I wasn't sure exactly so you guys can let me know your thoughts on this. However at the least they will be popping up occasionally because they are family and live in the same place and Matt and Blaze will probably need help with lunatic-child. :) _

Chapter 4

It had been about two weeks since Morgan had moved into the house. It had been a trying period of chaos and tantrums. Matt and Blaze were too busy with him to find time for each other and already it was starting to make them both a bit edgy. They were used to just the two of them and throwing a kid into the mix turned everything on its ear. By the time they were both in bed they just wanted to sleep. They had devised a plan that they could set the clock and wake up early before Morgan did and have some time to themselves whether it just taking time to talk to each other or whether it more intimate. However, Morgan had taken to getting up early and bounding in to wake them both, hence starting a new day of seemingly endless mayhem.

There were other solutions to this dilemma. They could leave Morgan with Jeff and Kody once in a while. They had spent many evenings watching Harley and Shawna so it seemed it was only fair for Jeff and Kody to return the favor…but Matt couldn't bring himself to do it. He could see Morgan destroying their things, fighting with Harley, and who knows what else. There was also Shannon but that was basically a hands down NO because he was only one person and from experience Matt knew that it was hard enough for two of them to reign in the child.

Matt lay in the dark staring at the back of Blaze. He was asleep breathing quietly. Matt reached over and played with his soft blonde hair. He moved closer so he could feel Blaze's body next to his. Matt closed his eyes and ran a hand over Blaze's chest and belly feeling the toned muscle he knew so well. Blaze sighed in his sleep and stirred a little. He curled his legs up.

"Blaze?" Matt waited a moment and got no answer. "Blaze, wake up."

"Hmm…" Blaze mumbled sleepily.

"Hey baby, can you please roll over for a minute?"

Blaze did so he was facing Matt. His eyelids opened and closed slowly, showing that they were still heavy with sleep, as he looked at Matt's blurry face. A smile stretched across Matt's face. Blaze looked so cute when he was half-asleep. His beautiful blue eyes struggled to stay open. Matt brushed his hair away from his face.

"I'm sorry…it's just we don't get the same time together that we used to."

"Yeah…" Blaze rubbed his eyes in an attempt to wake them up a bit.

"Have I ever told you how much I love you?" Matt asked wrapping an arm around his partner.

"I think so." Blaze joked despite his grogginess. "Do you hear that?"

"What?"

"Exactly. It's quiet…sounds good. No screaming, yelling, crashing, banging…"

Matt laughed and kissed Blaze's forehead.

"You're a prince for helping me out." Matt gazed at Blaze. He was still amazed that he had such a wonderful partner. Their love was the greatest gift he had ever known. Blaze was starting to doze again. "Blaze, please stay awake a little bit longer." His voice came out close to a whine. He was not looking forward to morning when Morgan would wake them up to another day of insanity. He was going to have to do something to make him behave and soon.

"Imma…wake…" Blaze forced his eyes open again. He wanted to be awake and have some time with Matt but his body was not allowing him. It kept wanting to shut down and go to that warm dark place called sleep.

"My ass." Matt retorted.

"What about it?"

"My ass you're awake. Maybe this will help."

Matt worked his lips gently over Blazes. As Blaze started to kiss him back he became a little less gentle and he nudged his partner's lips apart and slid his tongue in. Their tongues slipped and slithered prodding and pushing and tasting and nipping. Matt pushed deeper. By now the two were responding to each other with a little more than their wet and wanting mouths.

"Ahem." Morgan tried. He was standing in the doorway of Matt and Blaze's room. When that didn't work he tried again only louder. "A-hem!"

Both men stopped what they were doing. Matt sat up and Blaze rolled over grumping to himself.

"Hey Morg, what's wrong?"

Morgan crossed the room and climbed up onto the bed. He turned his big green eyes on his Dad. He made them water up a bit so he looked teary and he remembered to poke his lip out a bit to add to the expression.

"Can I sleep with you?"

"Uh…okay, but just for tonight."

Morgan settled in the middle. He took most of Blaze's pillow and stole the blankets.

"Matt, stop arguing with me." Kody said into the phone. It was tucked between her ear and shoulder as she changed Shawna. "Ew…you're getting that rash again."

"…what?"

"Not you Matt!" Kody laughed at her brother-in-law.

"No, Morgan, I told you already."

There was bickering in the background and Matt started to grumble into the phone.

"Kody, I can't promise you he's going to act decent."

Kody smeared some cream onto Shawna's bottom before taping up her diaper and pulling up her little pink shorts.

"You're coming over tonight and that is that. Love you Mattie…and give my love to Blaze too."

"Bye Sis."

Kody clicked the phone off and sat it down on the changing table.

"My goodness."

"Ood-ess." Shawna repeated. "Daddy!"

Kody put her daughter down and the little girl waddled off to find Jeff. Kody followed and found Shawna banging on the French glass doors. She opened them and let Shawna toddle out onto the deck where Jeff was sitting. He had just got done with some yard work and he was sitting there with his shirt of and sweaty. His braids were pulled back with a hair-tie and he had a bandana wrapped around his head. Shawna grinned up at him.

"Daddy!"

"Shawna!" Jeff scooped her up and pulled up her shirt and made farting sounds with his lips on her tummy. She giggled and shrieked happily. Harley hopped up the steps and climbed into a plastic chair and watched his dad and sister for a few moments.

"Mom E-eddie…"

Before Harley could finish Eddie made his grand appearance bounding clumsily up the steps and skittering around on the deck. His paws and muzzle were dark with dirt and stuck between his toes were some blades of grass and leaves. Stuck to the end of his black nose was a red flower petal. The dog licked his flowered nose and then sneezed sending the petal fluttering to the deck.

"Someone remind me why we got a dog again?"

"So he can destroy everything we own?" Jeff offered. He sat Shawna on the outdoor table and started to play peek-a-boo with her.

"What I was goin' to say is he du-ug in your flowers." Harley finished. "Shawna…peek-a-boo!"

"Ha-ree!" Shawna kicked her little feet happily.

"Speaking of destruction and such, I invited people over tonight."

She started to rattle off names including Harley's friend Izzy Raines and her parents Mike and Jackie, Shannon, Stella and her boyfriend Chuck, Legend, Matt, Blaze, and Morgan.

"Who's Morgan?" Harley asked. The moment he quit playing with his sister she started screaming. He turned to her and tickled her.

"He's your cousin. Harley, if you two are playing don't let him do anything bad. If he does come and tell me okay?"

Harley nodded.

"Well, Eddie spaghetti, let's go survey the damage." Jeff looked down at the little dog who was sniffing the flower petal he had sneezed off moments ago. The dog followed Jeff as he disappeared from the deck and went to find out where the dog had been digging.

"When Shawna gets older I'm go-onna teach her how to punch real hard."

Harley held his hand palm up to his sister. She studied it for a moment and then smacked at it with her own hand as though trying to do patty-cake.

"No, tha-at's not how ya do it." Harley curled his sister's hand into a fist. "Now try."

"No!" Shawna yelled and slammed her balled fist onto the plastic table. She laughed at the banging sound it made and did it again and again.

"Well, th-that's closer." Harley smiled at her.

People were in and out of the house passing around food, beer, Shawna, and occasionally tripping over the furry moocher known as Eddie. Legend bounced his granddaughter on his knee and she reached up and pulled on his ears. Jeff was operating the grill making some killer barbeque and Matt was standing near by nursing a beer and chatting up his younger brother. The other four men, Shan, Blaze, Chuck, and Mike were hitting it off well as they sat around the table laughing and joking over a game of Euchre. Kody, Stella, and Jackie were discussing Shawna's diaper rash and the 'love life' of Izzy and Harley. Harley was standing there looking at this red-haired kid who had a mean smirk on his face. They headed outside and climbed around on his swing set a bit before that turned boring.

"What do you want to do Mo-organ?"

"My name's not organ kid."

Harley rolled his eyes. When he had first started in preschool and then kindergarten he had a lot of teasing for his stutter. He even got in a couple of fights over it. He was now starting to get more used to the questions and taunting remarks of others and he was now more able to just brush them off. Morgan watched as a girl with bouncing blonde curls ran up to Harley.

"Harley, will you push me on the swing?"

Izzy climbed into the swing and smiled sweetly at Harley. Morgan pushed pass Harley.

"I'll push ya." Morgan shoved the little girl off the swing and she landed with a "whump" on her rear.

"That was mean!" Izzy scolded picking herself up and brushing off the back of her jeans.

"Hey, what are you doin' pushin' a gi-irl Organ?" Harley glared at the leering boy. Morgan stepped up to Harley and looked down at him because he was a bit taller.

"I'll push who ever I want, includin' you!" Morgan rammed his shoulder into Harley and knocked him down and then stood over him laughing. Harley reached up and pulled Morgan down and they started to scuffle.

Kody and the girls stopped their conversation when Izzy ran up to them wide eyed.

"Harley an' that other boy are fighting."

Kody followed Izzy out to the deck where she told Jeff and Matt what was going on and they too followed. When they came upon the two boys Harley had Morgan in a headlock.

"Break it up!" Jeff called to the two boys. Harley obeyed immediately and released his hold on Morgan but as soon as he did Morgan sent him a cheap shot in the nose. Harley looked up at him a little bewildered and wiped some blood from his nose.

"My Dad said to stop, didn't ya he-ear 'em?"

"I don't have to listen to your crummy Dad!" Morgan went to continue the fight but Jeff pulled his son away and likewise Matt hauled his up by the armpits. Harley glared at the other boy and sniffled his nose. Morgan launched into a fit screaming and yelling and kicking and punching at Matt.

"You're making a scene!" Matt chastised. "Stop it!"

Morgan turned to his father and bit his leg. Matt pried him off and Morgan collapsed to the ground screaming just as loud as he could. Harley and Izzy covered their ears. Matt looked up helplessly at Kody and Jeff. Kody was hiding her face in her hand and Jeff was raising his eyebrows at the crazy behavior of his nephew.

"We're going home." Matt barked at his son and picked him up over his shoulder and carried him to the car. "Sorry guys…" He offered to the others.

Jeff looked down at Harley who was rubbing his nose on his shirt. It was only bleeding a little. Izzy regarded him with a worried expression.

"Big H, what was this all about?"

Izzy planted a kiss on Harley's cheek and then she blushed pretty-pink. Harley looked up at his father.

"Oh, I see." Jeff tried not to smile about the whole thing. It was in a way kind of cute. He froze his face in a look that he hoped was stern. He could feel that he was starting to smile anyway.

"You're hopeless." Kody teased her husband and knelt down to talk to her son. "Harley, tell me what happened."

Harley recounted the event. Kody and Jeff sent glances to each other. Neither one felt this was their son's fault. He was justified in defending himself…and his cute little girlfriend.

"Harley, I understand why you got into a fight with Morgan, but please try not to in the future, okay?"

Harley nodded. Kody smiled at him and then pulled him into a hug. He was such a good kid.

"Mom!" Harley hissed in her ear. "Not in front of Izzy!"

"I'm sorry." Kody released her son with a little chuckle. "Go have fun guys."

Harley and Izzy went back to the swing set where Harley pushed her on the swing.

"That is so adorable." Kody linked her arm through Jeff's and watched the children.

"I feel sorry for Matt and Blaze. That was horrible! If Harley ever did something like that…"

"You're not locking yourself in the bathroom again." Matt called to his son as the red-haired boy started to bolt up the stairs. Matt chased after him and managed to grab him before he made it to his favorite hiding place.

"Let go a' me you dumb ass fucker!" Morgan screamed and spit in his dad's face. Matt grimaced and whipped the goo away. He hauled Morgan into the guest room, which was now Morgan's room, and shut the door. "What are you gonna do pussy?"

"Why are you acting up like this Morgan? People are trying to be nice to you and be friends with you. Don't you want anyone to like you?"

"I don't care!" Morgan climbed up onto the bed and knocked over a lamp that was on a nightstand. It didn't break but it cracked a bit.

"Quit it, you are going to learn to behave." How the hell he was going to make him behave was still the unanswered question in Matt's head. He was becoming furious with the child. He tried to consider Morgan's position being left in a strange place but it was getting harder and harder to keep that in mind. If Matt was in that position he wouldn't be acting like a complete demon. "Do you act this way with your mother?"

Morgan slouched back onto his pillow. Matt saw that he had hit a nerve. The boy quieted and hugged his knees to his chest. Matt sat down on the bed and peered at his son who would not bring his green eyes up to meet his fathers.

"Answer me Morgan."

"I…do…sometimes." He sniffled a bit as though he may be crying. "I just wanna go home…can I please call my Mom Mr. Hardy?" Morgan felt the tears spilling down his face. "If you don't want me around no more just call her and she'll come get me."

Matt felt bad for the boy. Jilly didn't want him on her hands and he couldn't grapple with it. Matt felt a lump start to form in his throat but he swallowed it away.

"Is that what all this is about?"

"I said I just wanna go home!" Morgan yelled into his knees.

"This is home now." Matt patted the little boy's arm. "We have to make this work, okay?"

"No! Get your fuckin' hands off of me bastard!" Morgan pulled away from his father and pulled covers over his head. He wept quietly, not wanting Matt to hear.

"Okay." Matt threw his hands up exasperated. "Okay, I'll leave you up here all by yourself if that's how you really want it."

Matt went down to his living room and howled disgustedly into the empty downstairs of the house. Morgan was going to give him gray hairs and an ulcer before long. Matt got on his computer and half-heartedly checked his email and blogs. He tried to find things to do around the house as the hours ticked away. Where was Blaze anyway? He was still over at Jeff and Kody's having fun. He could have come home with me and lent me some support but no he's being selfish and staying over there so he doesn't have to deal with it. He can have a good time and let me stay here and struggle with how to be a father. Maybe it wasn't right for him to be angry with Blaze but he couldn't stop those feelings from building. They had been prone to bickering lately which was unusual but seemingly unavoidable. Lucas jumped up into Matt's lap and he petted the little dog and sighed again at the funny patches in his fur. He looked up at the clock and watched as it kept on tick-tocking.

By the time Blaze got home Matt was good and mad. He barely allowed Blaze to get into the house before snarling at him.

"Thanks for your help!"

Blaze blinked at Matt a bit confused.

"What?"

"Don't give me the stupid act! It's okay I have it all under control, ha!"

Lucas leaped down from Matt's lap and crawled under the couch.

"You're scaring the dog." Blaze tried to joke a little hoping it would break through Matt's sour mood. It backfired only seeming to make him more irate.

"Don't change the subject Blaze! Why did you do that? I thought this is a partnership? No you just thought you could stay there and have a swell old time and get a break didn't you!" Matt could not explain the rage that was roaring around inside of him. It shouldn't be there, in all rationality, Blaze had done nothing wrong. Matt just had all kinds of things bottled up and he wanted to go off on someone. Blaze left the opening.

Blaze stepped towards Matt starting to get irritated himself.

"Listen here Matt, I didn't even know what happened until Jeff and Kody came in and told me! I can't read your mind, so I'm sorry if you were sending me telepathic brain-waves to leave with you and I didn't get it!"

"I sent you a text message!"

"My phone was off, God Matt!"

"Did you have a good time Blaze? Huh did you?"

"Matt shut up, you're being unreasonable!"

Blaze pushed past Matt and started off down the hallway but Matt stopped him by slamming him hard into the wall. Matt pinned Blaze's wrists to the wall and ravaged him with harsh kisses. He crushed his lips so fiercely to Blaze's that his teeth hurt. Both of them felt lost in a boiling frenzy of lips and teeth and hands and flesh. Matt tore Blaze's shirt away and tossed it to the floor. Blaze got rid of Matt's belt and opened his fly and Matt promptly shoved his shoulders downward so Blaze was on his knees ready to—

Damn it all to hell! The floorboards were creaking again upstairs. Small footsteps were falling onto the steps. Matt growled and slammed his fist into the wall leaving a slight dent. Blaze gathered up his shirt and Matt's belt and disappeared into the downstairs bathroom. Matt zipped up and tried to keep his hands from trembling. He was angry, at his wits end with his son, and he wanted his man and was that too much to ask?

_:) Thoughts, opinions, tips, advice, and I guess if you want you can even throw random vegetables at me. Lol :D _


	5. Chapter 5: Shenanigans: RIP

_Woot woot! Thank you all for reviews…and extremeshan81 you made me laugh, it was like early this morning and I was sulking because I didn't want to go to class. I checked my reviews and there was yours making me laugh about turnips, lol. I guess turnips always start your day off on the right foot hehe. Thanks go out to: DarkKaneanite, iNdy MiLk, and Hatter-Zombie.ate.your.brains. Quick promo…new fanfic 'Becoming Kane' maybe give it a read and let me know what you think! Thanks much amigas/os! Oh yeah, and most of the people I have in this chapter are from Smackdown! but some are not. Just assume that it is a Smackdown! show and some of the people are just crossing over brand names to be on the show this night. Okay enough blabbering._

Chapter 5

Jeff could not believe what Matt had done. Jeff was in the arena entrance waiting for his curly-haired brother when he saw the reason Matt had insisted they take different cars instead of using common sense and riding together. Matt was striding toward him holding the hand of Morgan who was trying unsuccessfully to wiggle away. Blaze followed behind a little reluctantly, his blonde hair fell over his face.

"Matt…"

"It's that freak again, you didn't tell me he was gonna be here!" Morgan looked up at the rainbow haired man and then at his father. He tried once again to pry his hand away from Matt.

"He's your uncle, be nice to him." Matt commanded, although he might as well be talking to a brick wall.

"I don't have to…" Morgan poked out his tongue with a spiteful expression, his eyes crinkled in to mean little slits and his mouth frowned down at the corners.

"Yo Matt, let's talk for a minute…"

Taking the hint Blaze took Morgan's other hand and led the begrudging child away from the two brothers.

"…what…" Matt tried to avert his brother's gaze.

"Don't give me "what", you brought Morgan! Matt, don't bring him along if he can't behave! This is going to go over just about as well as a turd in a punch bowl."

"Look, I thought it might help us bond or something."

Jeff shook his head making some of his tie-dyed braids flop around.

"You need to take him to Dad, he'll straighten him out. I know he straightened you out a couple of times and me out more than a couple."

"I tried!" Matt threw his hands up exasperated. What did Jeff think that he was doing nothing at all?

Jeff felt genuinely awestruck. What did Matt mean by I tried? Surely Dad could get the red-haired rebel set on the straight and narrow.

"You tried? You mean Dad couldn't do anything with him?" Jeff scratched his beard perplexed at the very thought.

"Yeah bro, that's exactly what I mean. I'm at my wits end, Blaze and I are fighting…we haven't…"

"You're about to cross the line and step over onto the territory labeled 'too much information'." Jeff warned laying a hand on his brother's shoulder.

"I'm sorry, I'm just so damn frustrated with this whole situation."

Matt and Jeff made their way down to the locker room chatting about what Matt could possibly do with his son. Meanwhile Blaze and Morgan were already down there.

"So you guys go out in your underwear in front of a bunch of people and roll around on each other?" Morgan questioned as he looked around at the shiny lockers. No one was down here yet just him and Blaze.

"No, that's not exactly how it goes."

The door opened and Alvin Burkes, MVP, came into the room with a duffle bag slung over his shoulder.

"Hey, Amazin' Blazin' how's it hangin'!"

Blaze looked up from his locker.

"You have such a way with words." He kidded.

"Who's the munchkin?" Alvin pointed down at Morgan who was jumping up and down on the metal bench that ran in between the lockers. He was making it bang and clang loud enough that MVP had to nearly shout for Blaze to hear him.

"Matt's son, Morgan. Hey Morg, this is a buddy Alvin, or MVP."

"Hi asshole!" Morgan shot out to Alvin who looked a little stunned.

"Nice kid." He said popping his corn-rowed head into his own locker.

Blaze scolded Morgan for his dirty mouth but the boy just uttered a few more expletives and mean words such as bastard, dick, and faggot.

Dave Finlay and Dylan Postl aka Hornswoggle along with a few others trickled into the locker room.

Finlay opened his locker and suddenly Morgan had crawled in between his legs knocking him off balance.

"Hey, what's this?"

Morgan grabbed Finlay's shillelagh from his locker and ran around the room dodging and darting away as Finlay tried to chase him hopping around and bumping into other guys. Blaze was sitting down lacing his boots and his Intercontinental title was draped over the bench next to him. Morgan grabbed that too and made a break for the door. Now half the locker room was chasing after him and knocking each other over like cartoon stooges spilling over one another.

"He's got my shillelagh, I need it for my match!" Finlay hollered as he tripped over Hornswoggle and went sprawling into the hallway with a few curses.

"My title! Morgan, get back here…where did he go?" Blaze's blue eyes searched frantically up and down the hallway. Alvin, Chavo, and Brain Myers (Hawkins) and Matthew Cardona (Ryder) stood around chuckling. "This is not funny, if you guys laugh one more time I'm going to blame this whole thing on you!" Blaze ran a hand through his sunny locks nervously. He wished Matt was here, but then again, what good would that do?

"How do you plan on doing that amigo?" Chavo asked smugly.

"I'll think of something…" Blaze muttered as he bounded away to hunt for Trouble, aka Morgan Hardy.

Jeff moved out of the way as Dave Finlay came barreling towards them looking in an extremely sour mood. He jammed his finger into Matt's chest.

"Hey Hardy, you need ta keep a leash on your bloody boy, the lad's made off with my shillelagh and Blaze's belt!"

"He did what!" Matt exclaimed. He removed Finlay's finger from his chest. Jeff stood by shaking his head sending Matt an 'I told you so' look with his eyes. "I'm really sorry, God, shit, I'll rustle him up. Come on Jeff." Matt dragged a protesting Jeff along with him.

Vince was having a little meeting before the show which began in half an hour. He looked around at the faces realizing more than a few were missing. Matt, Jeff, Blaze, Finlay, and Hornswoggle were AWOL. Vince barked at the others his question, which was where were these people?

"They'll be here." Alvin tried.

"They're chasing around a kid…" Mark Calloway offered.

"A kid?" Vince growled in his usual gruff tone. "Who-what--"

Just as Vince was about to start sputtering off at the mouth said missing suspects spilled into the room. Blaze had his title hung over his shoulder and Finlay held his shillelagh snug in his fist. Matt and Jeff restrained Morgan. Jeff's hand was clamped tightly over the boys' mouth. Vince glared at them all sending them malicious daggers.

"Well, I'm glad you ass monkeys could make it." He directed at all five of them. "I just have all the time in the world!" He scowled at them a few moments longer and then went on with a short talk to his superstars and divas.

After Vince and most of the others had left Matt and Jeff released their captive child.

"What in the hell did you think you were doing? You think you can just run around doing whatever you please? It doesn't work that way!" Jeff yelled before Matt could open his mouth.

"Screw you!" Morgan kicked his enigmatic uncle in the knee and tried to run off again but he was scooped up, not by Matt, but by Mark Calaway. Mark was already in traditional Undertaker garb, his in-ring attire peeking out of his long dark coat and his black brimmed hat. Morgan thrashed his feet and flayed his fists.

"Put me down ya ape!"

Mark sat the boy in a chair and looked down at him, regarding him with a squinty, sinister gaze.

"Do you know who I am?" Mark said in his deep, throaty, Undertaker voice. Morgan hushed and blinked up at the tall menacing figure.

"N-no…" Morgan swallowed. "Sir…" He added for good measure.

"They call me The Undertaker."

Morgan regarded the large sinister looking man. He didn't know if he'd seen a man that huge and that horrible looking before. Maybe he had gone a bit too far taking that man's funny stick and stealing Blaze's huge, weird looking, belt.

"They also call me the Deadman, that's because I've been to places you never want to see." Mark paused adding in a contorted frown and an evil-eye for good affect. Then slowly and deliberately he knelt to Morgan's level and locked eyes with the boy who by now was clutching the edge of his seat seeming frightened. "I have trampled the brimstone of hell, I have walked those smoldering streets, I have battled the fires and the imps and I have come out on the other side…I am what they call me…a Deadman."

Morgan's fear began to falter a bit. His mom told him monsters and boogey men were not real. He eyed the big man skeptically.

"Ghosts aren't real." He tried a bit timidly. He was still trying to size this character up.

"I'm not a ghost…if I was a ghost…then I couldn't…" Mark grabbed the little boys' wrist, not too hard, but hard enough to be firm and startle him. Morgan looked down at the enormous hand that engulfed his wrist and forearm. He knew he couldn't squirm free from its grasp. He was starting to shiver a little but tried to control it. Matt, Jeff, Blaze, MVP, and Finlay stood around watching the scene with little grins and smirks hanging on their faces. It was a bit cute and entertaining.

"We should get in on it…" Jeff whispered to Matt. "Look scared or something."

"M-Morgan you better listen to him…I know from experience he's real scary…" Blaze stuttered feigning anxiety as Undertaker gave Morgan his signature white-eye roll accompanied by a hellish grimace.

"If you're…" Morgan tried to gulp away a lump in his throat. Quit talking and just do what he says! He told himself, but he wasn't going to. He wanted to see something cool. "If you're really from hell then I--I bet you can do lots of neat stuff, or else you're just fake like Santa Clause and the Easter Bunny. You gotta prove to me…why don't you call up a demon or something?"

Morgan managed a mischievous grin. Mark kept his gaze stone as the little boy leered up at him as though he now had the upper hand. Great, thought Matt, now what? Finlay slipped away from the room.

"I don't take orders from little boys." Mark growled, pulling his lips away from his teeth like a dog on edge, about to bite.

"Ha!" Morgan burst out triumphantly. "You can't do it! Come on ugly mug do it! Call up a devil or somethin', call up a demon!"

"I said, I don't take orders from--"

"You can't do it, you can't do it, nah-nah, nah-nah you're a big ol' phony baloney!"

Good try Mark, thought Matt. He was ready to give up and stuff Morgan into a locker for the rest of the show. Jeff was right he had to have been temporarily insane to think it was reasonable to bring Morgan along.

"What are ya gonna do send me down to hell too!"

A real look of horror crossed the faces of the four men who were left watching the scenario as Morgan spit in Mark's face. His cold stare was thus broken, because that literally mad him angry. Before was just an act.

"Listen here boy!" Mark said forgetting his Undertaker voice and wiping spit away from his face.

"God, I'm so sorry!" Matt directed to Mark. "Morgan, what makes you think that you're-"

Matt was interrupted as Dave Finlay stumbled into the room with a panic-stricken wild-eyed look dominating his features.

"Th-there's a bloody demon after me!" He gasped laying a hand over his chest as though trying to calm himself. MVP's eyebrows slanted together at the bridge of his nose conveying his bewilderment. The explanation to MVP's question staggered in after Finlay. The Irishman fell to his knees and began to plead for his life. Morgan's mouth was dropped open in a wide surprised O.

MVP started to giggle and tears ran down his face. Luckily his strained laughter and tears could be mistaken for terrified sobbing. Matt bit into the insides of his cheeks so hard he tasted blood, but he was close to busting out into a fit of braying and spoiling the whole thing, Jeff likewise had to do something to contain himself so he stuck his hand into his mouth and chomped down on it. His eyes watered up because he wanted to laugh so badly. Blaze crossed his legs together tight as though he was about to wet himself at any moment. The 'demon' and the reason the guys needed to laugh until the point of unconsciousness, was Vickie Guerrero. Her head was hung downward and her long dark hair was hanging over her face obscuring most of her features. She was slumped a bit to look creepier perhaps. When she looked up hair clung to her face which she was twisting into a hideous form. Some make up artist had obviously given her a quick makeover to make her look awful. Dark eyeliner surrounded her eyes which were wide and buggy, the liner was streaked heavily down her cheeks. She had bit down on a couple of fake blood capsules and the "blood" painted her lips ruby-red and oozed from the corners of her mouth and ran down her neck.

"Please don't take me! Please, I'm beggin' ya!" Finlay nearly shrieked in his Irish brogue and kissed her feet. The Vickie demon looked down at him and snarled. She grabbed Dave by his neck and he allowed her to pull him up and drag him out of the room, of course he made it look like she was dragging him out on her own. MVP was curled up in a fetal position on the floor in sobbing hitches of laughter. Morgan just thought the man was scared to death. Mark struggled to keep a look of surprise and amusement from taking over his face. He managed to compose his countenance back into a sneer and he turned again to Morgan.

"Do you believe?"

Morgan bobbed his head up and down eagerly.

"Are you going to behave, Morgan Hardy, and listen to your elders?" Mark questioned, rolling his eyes around.

"Yes!" He squeaked. "Yes sir, I will!"

"Good." Mark scooped Morgan into his arms and took him out into the hallway thus saving MVP from hyperventilating, Matt from chewing through his cheeks, Jeff from tearing his hand apart, and Blaze from making a puddle. As soon as Mark and Morgan left, the room exploded into crazy, uncontrollable, gales of hooting laughter and snorts.

_This was a really fun chapter for me, I hope you enjoyed it. I noticed it's the first chapter to not have a sex scene, lol. Maybe the next one will? Don't know yet. Have a good weekend all! Peace and love!_


	6. Chapter 6: Breaking Point

_It hasn't been that long since I updated but for some reason it seems like forever. I kind of got a writes block and I've been having a horrible week to top it of. Arg, send me some reviews and some cookies and make me feel better pweese! Thanks to those who have reviewed it makes me go yay when I see reviews. Thanks go out to the usual suspects: Hatter-Zombie.ate.my.brains, iNdy MiLk, extremeshan81, Dark Kaneanite, and 68 stones from a broken heart. Hugs to all! So here is chapter 6._

Chapter 6

Matt hoped that when he returned to the locker room all would be at peace. He was pretty sure Mark with the aid of Finlay and 'the demon' aka Vickie had set Morgan straight at least for a while. Matt headed into the locker room wiping sweat from his face. Finlay was on his way out and he gave Matt a big smile and a thumbs up. Jeff was over by the sinks playing a mean air guitar to some song on his I-pod. Matt made his way to his locker and smiled when he saw the two men and his son.

Mark was sitting on the long metal bench that separated two walls of lockers. He was still donning his black in-ring attire. His long coat lay drooped over the bench and his wide brimmed hat was perched atop Morgan's red curls. Mark was squinting at some cards he held in his gloved hand. Across from him Morgan sat cross-legged looking up at The Undertaker and eyeing him warily. MVP, Alvin, had pulled up a chair to the bench which doubled as a table where more cards were stacked. Alvin was changed into jeans, a big t-shirt, and a dew-rag was hiding his cornrows. He had forgotten to take off that silly strip he wears across his nose off. He was sitting now with his chin in his hand like that statue of The Thinker. His eyebrows were drawn together at the bridge of his nose as he pondered over his cards.

"What are you guys playing?" Matt asked as he dug around in his locker.

"Go Fish." Mark said somberly. It sounded funny coming out in his Undertaker voice.

"Whose is it?"

Mark cocked a thumb at Alvin who was still thoughtfully rubbing his chin.

"Okay kid, I think I have you this time, you have any nines?"

Alvin looked sideways at Morgan who grinned and shook his head.

"Go Fish!"

Alvin grumbled as he drew a card.

"Why do you have Go Fish anyway, you like to play with little kids or something?" Matt questioned teasing the other man.

"Huh?" Alvin looked up from his cards momentarily. "Ah, no. Sometimes I get bored and I play with myself."

"Whoah, I think I missed something." Said Blaze who had just entered the room. Matt glared at him. They had gotten into an argument before leaving today about taking Morgan with them. Matt was not exactly still angry about that little squabble, he was just edgy in general because the lack of alone time he and Blaze had been getting for the last month. The two were starting to take things out on each other and they often fell into needless bickering over stupid things that didn't even matter. Blaze looked a bit hurt. He turned to Alvin. "All I heard was 'sometimes I get bored and I play with myself'." Blaze chuckled and Alvin looked up at him with another 'huh?'

"Do you got any fours?" Morgan asked after much consideration.

Mark surrendered two fours to the little boy.

"He's good." Mark said forgetting his gimmick for a moment and giving the boy a smile. He reached over to Morgan and flicked the brim of his black hat. Morgan smiled back, not sure if he should dare to giggle or not. After the Deadman did it a second time he figured it was okay so he started to laugh and after Mark would reach over and flip his hat then Morgan would reach over and slap Mark's knee.

"Hey, calm down kids, we're playin' some Go Fish here!" Alvin tried to settle the two so they would return to the game. "I'm gonna win this game kids!"

"MVP…winning?" Blaze scoffed in good-nature.

"Boy, you better watch yourself!" Alvin shot back.

Blaze headed to the showers and on the way he gave Matt's butt a nice slap. Matt didn't know why but it made him mad and he glowered from beneath his dark brows at his partner who was disappearing into the other part of the locker room where the showers were. If Matt didn't know any better he would think Blaze was trying to make him mad.

On his way to the showers Blaze stopped seeing Jeff jamming with an imaginary guitar. He poked the younger Hardy in the shoulder and Jeff slipped the buds out of his ears.

"Yeah?"

"Do you think you could take Morgan back with you tonight? I know, I know, but…Matt's getting really grouchy and I'm getting edgy too and we…um kind of need some time to ourselves…I wouldn't ask you but…please?"

Blaze poked his lip out in a silly exaggerated pout and curled his hands in a praying gesture to show he was begging.

"I'll get on my knees." He gave Jeff a wink and Jeff laughed and play-punched him in the shoulder.

"No need to do that. I guess I can take the little hellion off your hands for one night. Just remember this for future references."

Blaze's whole face lit up and he drew Jeff into a big hug and thanked him relentlessly.

"Matt never asked me about it earlier, does he know?"

"No, let's just say it's a surprise."

"Wait, you're going behind Matt's back?" Jeff raised one of his unique eyebrows. "Somehow I think that could piss him off a little."

Blaze flashed him a smile.

"I hope so."

Jeff shook his head as Blaze disappeared.

"I don't even wanna know." Jeff mumbled to himself and lost himself once again in his music.

Matt stood looking down at his son. He was wearing Jeff's red and white arm socks which were so big that they hung off his arms like saggy skin and they went up to his armpits. That was even after rolling them up a few times.

"Blaze said I could!" Morgan protested pushing the arm socks up yet again.

"Fine, just go!"

"Are you mad at me?"

"No." Matt glared at Jeff who shrugged and took Morgan's hand. Matt then shifted his glare to Blaze who looked back at him with wide blue eyes feigning innocence.

On the way home Blaze began to feel a bit guilty. He was hoping by the time they got home Matt would snap at him and do something rough, maybe give him a good hard shove into something or tackle him or give him a rattling smack across the face. He felt a little bad like he was stealing a play from Morgan's book by pushing Matt's buttons so much. He knew Matt was already all nerves from dealing with Morgan but now he was only adding to his distress and annoyance and that wasn't what he was supposed to do as Matt's partner. He was supposed to help not make things worse. Matt just didn't realize the point behind it. Blaze looked over at Matt who was driving. He had been silent most of the way home. He only stared over the steering wheel with a slight scowl on his face. Blaze wanted to apologize very badly but then all this would have been for nothing. He held back his urge to reveal his kinky little plot and instead he traced his finger up Matt's leg and then laid his hand to rest high on Matt's thigh. Matt did not even flinch but Blaze thought he saw something change in his dark, handsome, eyes.

Matt slammed the door and stomped up the steps to the home he and Blaze shared. He couldn't exactly say why he was seething so much. He just had so many things that had built up, insanity from his son, maximum annoyance with Blaze, and a great amount of pent up sexual frustrations. He fumbled with his keys and opened the door.

Blaze waited for the opportune moment. He had spent some of the car ride home trying to decide on how to push that final button and have Matt explode on him. Matt was not easy to anger but the last month things had been so hectic that lately Matt had been more short tempered than usual. Matt pulled Blaze into the house and quickly slammed the door behind them. He shoved Blaze against the door and ravished him with a long, deep, sizzling kiss that put Blaze's head in a spin. Blaze pushed Matt away gently. This seemed to confuse his dark haired partner who blinked at him questioningly.

"Matt, I'm going out tonight."

Matt's eye twitched as it had started to do since Morgan had upped the stress level to "off the charts".

"What do you mean you're going out? No you're not!" Matt snapped.

Things were working out well for Blaze, he just had to push a little harder and Matt would finally react.

"What do you mean I'm not? You don't own me!" Blaze raised his voice in a yell and shoved Matt away from him.

"What is your problem? You're really being such an ass-hole lately! Do you know that Blaze!" Matt shouted taking his voice up higher than Blaze's. Matt stepped back up to his lover who was driving him to his wits end.

"So what, maybe I am! What are you gonna do about it Hardy? Huh?" Blaze held his arms out in a 'bring it on' gesture. He was acting so damn cocky and full of himself. Matt just wanted to knock his head off. "What are you gonna do about it, Princess! Blaze snarled nearly spitting at Matt. Before Matt could stop his hand was raised up behind him ready to come crashing down into Blaze's face to send that smug expression flying right off of it. He saw a flicker in Blaze's eyes and his snarl morphed into a sly little grin. That dick, Matt thought, he wants me to do it! So Matt did. Matt's hand connected to the side of Blaze's face with a loud pop. Blaze could feel his teeth rattle with the force of it and he moved his jaw a little and listened to it crackle a bit. His cheek lit up with heat and a painful sting that could almost bring tears to his eyes. He wasn't expecting the second slap but it came anyway. It seemed that Matt was really enjoying taking his aggression out at last and Blaze received blow after blow until both were crashing their mouths to one another in hard kisses that hurt their teeth. Matt worked on tearing Blaze's shirt away as Blaze quickly pulled Matt's belt from his pants and gave it a loud crack before tossing it to the floor.

"I can't believe you…" Matt panted as he dropped Blaze's shirt to the floor and then soon after added his own shirt to the pile.

"You're an animal, I like it." Blaze let Matt know as he moved his mouth over Matt's simmering, pulsing, body.

"I don't think I can hold out very looong!" Matt groaned as Blaze took his full length deep in his mouth and did amazing things. Matt reached down and grabbed handfuls of Blaze's hair and pulled hard enough to tear some of it out. Blaze moaned as well as he could with Matt being in his mouth. Matt moved his hands further downwards to Blaze's muscled shoulders and dug his fingers in hard as he came. Blaze was close himself. Matt had never been this rough with him before and he was enjoying every moment of it. Soon Matt was down on his hands and knees and Blaze drove in hard and suddenly. Each forceful thrust seemed to jar Matt's entire body so hard he thought his bones would turn to jell-o. He couldn't remember Blaze ever going after him this hard. His arms and legs trembled as Blaze kept on panting and thrusting his throbbing member into his body.

"Blaze!" Matt screamed hoarsely both out of pain and pleasure. "Ah, it hurts!"

"Matt, shut up!" Blaze panted and grabbed a shirt that was on the floor. He was going to give it to Matt to bite down on but instead Matt grabbed his arm and bit into it like he was trying to bite a chunk out of his flesh. As Matt locked his teeth in Blaze gave one last powerful thrust and came. Matt buckled and flopped belly down onto the carpet and Blaze collapsed onto him. Matt was still chomping down on Blazes arm. He seemed unable to move at all. He had never felt so pleasured, exhausted, and full of pain before. Blaze was thinking just about the same thing as his jaw still hurt from those multiple hard blows but more over his forearm was throbbing as Matt's teeth still sank into his flesh. He wanted to tell Matt to let go but he was panting too hard to say anything at all. At last Blaze was able to roll off and request his arm back. Matt opened up slowly and released his partners arm.

"I didn't think I could move." Matt groaned. "You just about fucked my brains out."

"Damn!" Blaze looked down at his arm which donned a huge purple-black bruise and rows of deep teeth marks and even a little blood.

"I'm dead." Matt announced and slid his arm—its felt like it weighed a million pounds—over Blaze's sweat slimed shoulders. "That was very…good."

"Yeah it was, I'm sorry for going behind your back and all that stuff but I was hoping it would end up in something similar to this, only I couldn't have imagined how amazing it would be."

"You look like I abuse you." Matt said studying the horrible bite mark on Blaze's arm and the bruises showing up on his face.

"You can abuse me anytime you like." Blaze smirked and brushed some of Matt's curls away from his face.

"Okay, wanna go again?" Matt asked dropping his mouth open and then snapping it shut with a click in a biting gesture. "Ow, it hurts to laugh." Said Matt as he and Blaze both chuckled.

"Wanna go upstairs and go to sleep?"

"Stairs?" Matt groaned. "I don't plan to move for a while."

Lucas poked his head between the stair rails. He had planned to greet Matt and Blaze happily and with many wet kisses when they came home but the two men came in being loud and rough and so he had figured this was a bad thing and went off to his favorite hiding place under the bed. Now however the two men were sleeping naked on the floor. Usually they slept in the bed where Lucas curled up on the end. The whole thing was just confusing. The little dog blinked at the two men and then went to have the whole bed to himself.

_Lol. I wasn't sure how to end this, but then I thought it would be cute/funny to think of Lucas looking down at Matt and Blaze sleeping naked on the floor and be like 'what the hell?' I hope you like the chapter. I feel like I've had a lot of sex in this story and not as much plot…but…let me know your thoughts. Thank you all! P.S. If my updates on this story start to come slower (not saying they will but just incase) it will be because I'm also doing another story "Becoming Kane" and I just started back to school and I have a lot of classes. This is my last semester before graduating so I crammed a bunch of classes in. Well enough extra info, penny for your thoughts?_


	7. Chapter 7: Moons, Monsters, and Movies

_Thank you for reviews: 68 Stones from a broken heart, Dark Kaneanite, extremeshan81, iNdy MiLk, Hatter-zombie.ate.your.brains. Sorry this update was slow, blame school!_

Chapter 7

Kody was surprised to see Jeff come in with a child in tow. She smiled down at Morgan who shoved up the droopy arm socks that belonged to her husband. Jeff looked worn out, his eyes told her that some part of his body was once again in pain. Kody pressed a kiss to his lips. Jeff looked down as he felt a tug on his pants. His daughter was the culprit. She grinned up at him and pulled on his pants leg.

"Daddy, up!" She raised her arms up towards her father and opened and closed her hands which was his signal to sweep her up into his arms. It was not exactly a sweep but a rather herky-jerky motion as he bent to pick her up and his back griped at him. Old injuries rear their ugly heads.

"Hey angel!" Jeff touched his nose to hers and she giggled and squealed. Shawna reached up to his hair which always fascinated her. She wrapped her small fingers in his colorful tresses and tugged at it.

"Daddy, me pee potty!"

"You did!" Jeff looked to Kody for confirmation and Kody beamed at him proudly.

"She did, she's getting good at it. I took a picture!" Kody scurried away to get the digital camera.

"Why would you take a picture of somebody takin' a piss, it's no big deal."

Morgan asked and looked up at Jeff whose face was mostly obscured as Shawna made a huge knot out of his hair and had fun whilst doing so.

"Ow…Shawna…" Jeff struggled to get his daughters hands free from his hair.

"No!" Shawna protested.

Kody came back with the camera and laughed when she saw the mess her daughter and husband were in. She sat the camera down and untangled Shawna who screamed NO! as loud as possible. Kody sat Shawna too her feet and turned for the camera.

"Where?"

"Morgan…" Jeff sighed as he pulled at his own hair in attempt to get the knots out.

Kody searched the house and then outside and she found Morgan with the camera around his neck, only he was jumping on the trampoline where Harley liked to practice wrestling moves. Kody watched a bit fearfully as the camera bounced all around. At any moment it would go flying and die a horrible, unfortunate, death at the hands of her mischievous nephew.

"Morgan, come down from there, that's not yours!"

"So, I don't care!" He poked his tongue out at her and clicked a picture of her squinty eyes and her lips pressed into an angry little line.

"Now, or you are in big trouble!" She demanded in her scariest 'Moms' pissed' voice.

"What are you gonna do put my nose in a corner? Na-na you can't get me!" Morgan held the camera to his chest to make sure it didn't fly off and did a flip and landed on his rear. Kody saw her opportunity and quickly pulled herself up onto the trampoline and grabbed Morgan's ankle. He shrieked and kicked at her but she just grabbed his other ankle and pulled him screaming and struggling off of the trampoline. Kody pried the camera out of his hands and then half-dragged him into the kitchen. His ridiculous shrilling filled the house and Shawna covered her ears and started to wail. Eddie started to yowl from his place of former contentment on the couch. Harley even came out of his room to see what was going on and rolled his eyes when he saw his cousin.

"You're in time out!" Kody did just what Morgan had mocked her about earlier. She stuck him in a corner.

"How long?"

"Until I say so!"

"That's not fair!" Morgan protested.

"Tough!" Kody recovered her endangered camera and showed Jeff the picture. Shawna sat on her kid potty looking up at her Mom with dark wide eyes rimmed with long blonde lashes and a proud smile on her lips.

"Me inna potty!"

She announced to Harley. He patted her on the head.

"Get back over there…" Jeff said to Morgan who had slinked out of his corner and was making faces behind Kody's back.

"Get ober dere!" Shawna shouted.

Time out was a big fight. Kody had to keep fetching him and hauling him back to the corner and he just screamed or giggled at her. Jeff holed up in the bedroom and despite the noise fell asleep without even taking his shoes off. Harley and Shawna sat at the kitchen table playing with Play-Doh. Shawna was up on her knees and smashing her fists into the mush happily. Harley was making all kinds of neat things. He took after Jeff with his creativity. Shawna watched her brother for a few moments and then brought her fist down onto his just finished creation.

"Smoosh!" Shawna shrilled and splatted Harley's creation into nothingness.

"Mom!"

Kody turned from Morgan. She had actually pulled up a chair and sat there so he wouldn't try to escape. She got up to see what her son wanted and Morgan promptly stepped away from his corner and danced around making fun of her.

"Shawna ruined my--" Harley stopped suddenly and slapped a hand over his mouth to stifle his giggles. Kody turned, not sure if she wanted to see what Harley was laughing about, and found Morgan's little white butt poking out from his pants like a mini full moon.

"That's it…" Kody tugged up Morgan's jeans. "I'm calling him."

"Aw, you don't gotta call my Dad." Morgan whined.

"I didn't say I was calling Matt. I'm calling The Undertaker."

Morgan's face filled up with his wide emerald eyes and he shoved his nose into the corner. Kody was pleased with herself and glad that Jeff had filled her in on the evening. Now she had something to use to hopefully make Morgan behave a bit. Harley gave his Mom a raised eye brow in confusion.

"Why wo-ould you call Mark?"

"Misser Mark!" Shawna squealed.

"Who's Mark?" Morgan asked in a muffled voice from his naughty spot.

"He's--"

"Harley, can you please feed Eddie?" Kody interrupted to divert the revealing of the big secret. She followed Harley to the pantry where they kept a bag of puppy food and explained to him about Morgan's run in with The Undertaker.

After time out Kody tried to get the kids to play a game. She got out the "Cootie" game. Shawna smacked the pieces happily and slobbered all over the head. Morgan stuck the plastic "Cootie" leg up his nose and then Kody had to pry it out with tweezers while Harley had a laughing fit over the whole situation.

"Mommy, me gotsta poo."

Kody took Shawna to the bathroom.

"She'll probably take a picture of it." Morgan said as the ladies left.

"You kn-know The Underta-aker isn't real?" Harley whispered. Morgan's fair brows bunched at the bridge of his nose in confusion.

"Of course he's real, I saw him! We played Go Fish!"

"Well that ju-ust proves it, what kinda guy f-from hell pla-ays Go Fish?"

Morgan pondered for a moment.

"It's like acting, he's The Underta-aker whe-en he wrestles but when he don't wrestle he's normal li-ike our Dads."

"Well, my Dad ain't normal. He likes boys."

"Do they kiss?"

"Yeah…"

"Gross!"

The two boys looked toward the bathroom as Kody squealed happily and popped her head out from the door.

"She did it!" She drew her head back in to finish helping Shawna.

"Gross!" The boys said again in unison.

Kody came out with Shawna close on her heals looking very smug.

"Me poop inna potty!"

"There are monsters in the potty that eat little girls butts!" Morgan lunged for Shawna who shrieked, fell backwards, bumped her head on the table, and started crying. She was crying not because of the bump, it didn't take Hardy kids very long to become immune to bumps and bruises. Skinning her knees or cracking her head never phased her a bit. It was just Meanie Morgan who had scared her.

"Mommy! Mons'er inna potty!" She sobbed and sniffled with red cheeks and leaky eyes.

"Duh-don't scare her! She's ju-ust a baby!" Harley shoved Morgan. Before Kody could finish assuring Shawna that there were no monsters in the potty, Harley and Morgan were rolling around fighting and bumping into things. Kody went to break up the scuffle and Shawna bawled harder. Eddie perked up and put his ears back and started to howl.

Harley and Morgan both found themselves in opposite corners. Kody sat Shawna on the counter and wiped her swimming dark eyes with a Kleenex.

"I have to pee!" Morgan groaned.

"Too bad, you're in time out." Kody said pushing some of her pink and purple streaked hair behind her ear. "Shawna there's no such thing as monsters…don't cry angel."

"I'm gonna pee my pants!" Morgan called.

"Be quiet and stay where I put you."

"What if I don't? What if I pee in the corner?"

Kody mumbled under her breath frustrated with Morgan.

"I told you earlier. I'll call him."

"Go ahead. There's no such thing as monsters, least that's what you told Shawna." Kody glared at Morgan who had come out of his corner. Harley still had his nose dutifully stuck where his mom had put it. Morgan grinned at her, waiting to see what she would do.

"Just do it Mo-organ, she'll let you out pretty soon if you just do wha-at she says!" Harley scolded his cousin.

"How is that fun?"

"Well this i-isn't fun, I wanna go watch a movie!" Harley pouted.

"Prob'ly dumb little baby movies." Morgan put his nose back into the corner with a heavy sigh.

Later that night Kody put a drowsy Shawna to bed. She found Jeff sprawled out on the bed with his hair still in a mangled wad from Shawna. She took his shoes off and started to rub his feet. He stirred and rubbed his sleepy green eyes.

"Hey baby." He yawned.

"Jeff, no more kids please."

"Deal." He said and buried his face into his pillow.

"This movie is sooo dumb." Morgan rolled his eyes. "What's that?" He pointed up at a fake World Heavy Weight Championship belt.

"It's mine." Harley pulled it down from the shelf and showed Morgan. "Daddy got it for me, it says "Big H" World He-eavy Weight Cha-ampion."

"What's that?" Morgan pointed at something else.

"That's my old te-eddy bear I used to sleep wi-ith."

"Betcha still do!"

"Do not!"

Harley reached under his bed and pulled out some action figures.

"Want to play s-superhe-eroes?"

The two played that for a while but Morgan got bored quickly.

"Let's go get some ice cream." He disappeared from Harley's room. Harley followed after him reluctantly. When he got to the kitchen Morgan was already standing on a chair and pulling a container from the freezer.

"Mom didn't sa-ay we could." Harley warned.

"Mom this, Mom that, she wont know."

"Mom always knows." Harley felt that before Morgan left they were both going to get stuck in corners again. Morgan opened up cabinets looking for bowls and then almost dropped one. Harley drew in a hiss but luckily Morgan only fumbled the bowl and didn't drop it. Morgan scooped ice cream until the bowls were just about over flowing. The two boys went into the living room and Harley switched on the t.v. and turned it low in hopes not to wake up his parents.

"This is retarded…" Morgan snatched the remote from Harley who was watching Spongebob Squarepants. Morgan surfed channels and stopped on Southpark.

"This one's really funny!" Morgan giggled.

"Looks stupi-id." Harley said as he squeezed his eyes shut with brain freeze.

"Fine." Morgan flipped some more channels. "How's this?" He pointed to the screen and a big smile stretched across his face. Harley's eyes widened and he stopped with a spoonful of ice cream half to his mouth. It started to melt and drip onto his pajama pants.

"They're naked!" Harley said a little too loud.

"Be quiet, you'll wake the grown ups." Morgan snapped. "Duh, grown ups like to be naked."

"They…do?"

"Yeah." Morgan assured him over a mouthful of ice cream.

"They're…they're! What are they doing!" Harley covered his eyes but peeked out threw his fingers.

"Boys, what are we watching?"

Morgan and Harley looked up to see The Enigma.

_Please drop me a line! Love and peace readers!_


	8. Chapter 8: Bonding and Killing Monsters

_Thank you sooo much for the reviews on chapter 7. I am so glad it is the weekend! So anyway, here is the next update. I really love how Jeff reacts to Harley and Morgan and the t.v. show they have on. I couldn't resist, I couldn't see Jeff really being a really strict father, and I just thought this was funny. I hope you all like it too._

Chapter 8

"Wanna watch with us?" Morgan grinned up at his uncle. Jeff had to work hard to not smile back at him at that question. He forced the corners of his mouth to stay still and not curl up.

"You guys need to turn this off." Jeff took the remote and held it for a moment and tilted his head a bit as he watched what was flickering on the screen. His green eyes glittered as he took it in.

"Dad…aren't you gonna tu-turn it off?"

"Huh?" Jeff took his eyes from the t.v. and blinked at his son. "Oh…yeah." He clicked it off and smiled down at the boys. "You guys are five years old, you can't watch this stuff. Go to bed." He ruffled their hair.

"Well when we're six can we watch it?" Morgan pushed looking up at him with his huge begging eyes that were likewise colored green.

"No kid, go to bed." Jeff laughed.

"How about when we're seven?"

"No." Jeff steered Morgan towards Harley's room. "Go to sleep, or at least stay in here and don't watch naked people."

Jeff shook his head and crawled back into be laughing. He remembered a similar situation where Shan's mom had caught he and Shan watching a dirty movie. They were about ten and eleven. Shan wasn't quite mature enough to fully enjoy the movie yet but he pretended he knew all about sex and just put on a macho act. When caught Jeff lied about the tape (which was Legends that Jeff had decided to 'borrow') and said it was Matt's movie and then Matt who wasn't even there and had no involvement in the matter got dragged in. Some things never really change, Shan still thinks he knows everything about sex and likes to act badass, and Jeff still drags a bewildered Matt into his troubles.

Harley was half asleep when Morgan whispered his name. He wasn't going to answer but the Morgan kicked his foot and said his name again louder. Harley sat up and rubbed his eyes. He looked down to the end of his bed where Morgan was sleeping, or not sleeping but bugging him.

"What?"

"You're really lucky."

"Why?" Harley yawned.

"Your Mom loves you…I wish my Mom did." He said very quietly. She didn't call him very much and she had announced that she and her fiancée had changed their plans. They were not moving to Cameron to be close to him, they were moving to California which was about as far away from Cameron you could get without leaving the U.S. Morgan sniffled a bit and hoped that Harley didn't think he was crying.

"You're Mom loves you, sh-she's just not a ve-ery good mom."

"She doesn't." Morgan snapped bitterly. "I guess I'm just stuck here…I have to go to school Monday."

"I-it's not that bad I guess. Mostly we just play and learn stuff like numbers and le-etters and stuff."

Morgan had been to day care but he was a little scared of going to pre-school. Morgan was quiet for a while and Harley had started to slip off to sleep again.

"Harley…" Morgan poked the boy with his toe. "Big H!"

"What?" Harley whined.

"Will you…I dunno…will you kind of be my friend?"

Harley smiled in the darkness.

"Yeah."

Maybe things were not so bad here. Despite his mischievousness often getting the best of him he was starting to like the people here. Even Matt wasn't too bad. Morgan looked up at the ceiling and thought of his mother. He wondered where she was and what she was doing and if she missed him at all. Maybe it didn't matter, maybe he could learn to live without her. Maybe Blaze would be like his step-mom. Morgan giggled in the darkness.

Monday came a little too fast for Morgan. He didn't want to go to school. Matt was shaking him. Morgan buried his head under his covers and tried to squirm away from his dad.

"Morgan, up." Matt crawled under the covers with his son and they sat with the blanket draped over their heads like a tent. "Hi." Matt smiled. Morgan crossed his arms and glared.

"I'm sleepin'."

"Blaze made pancakes."

Morgans' glare softened a bit. That sounded pretty good and it made his belly growl.

"What if the kids don't like me 'cause I'm not from here. I talk different. What if the teachers are mean? What if I have to go to the bathroom, do they let you?"

Matt laughed.

"Of course they let you…it will be okay. I was scared too, but you know what? Mostly you just play and have snacks and have a nap, so that's not too bad right?"

"You mean I don't gotta learn anything?"

"Well, maybe a little."

"What if I don't want to?"

"Morgan, you can't have everything your way."

"Why not?"

"Because!" Matt grabbed his son and tickled him until he was crying and screaming with laughter. Morgan tumbled out of bed and ran down the hall in his pajamas and clomped down the stairs to get away from his tickling father.

"Victory!" Matt called triumphantly as he made up Morgans' bed. "At least I got him out of bed for school." Matt felt pretty good about that at least. Now all he had to do was get some clothes on him, maybe a shoe, and then try to wrangle him into the car and deposit him at school and hope he didn't get any phone calls before he got back home.

Morgan sat next to Harley on a carpet square. On the other side of Harley was little Izzy holding her beau's hand and gazing at him with her impossibly enormous blue eyes glittering happily. The teacher was reading some stupid story about a duck and showing them pictures. Morgan was really, really, super board. He started to poke the little girl next to him until she slapped his hand. The teacher sent them a severe look and for a couple minutes Morgan stopped poking her and just wriggled around restlessly on his carpet square. Then, he went back to poking her.

"Miss Roberts, Morgan keeps pokin' me!" The little girl whined in her southern draw and pushed her lip out in a pout.

"Morgan, don't be disruptive during story time."

"What's eruptive?" Morgan asked and some of the kids giggled.

"Stop poking Hannah." Miss Roberts clarified. She went back to her story and Morgan grinned over at the little girl who was glaring at him. He pulled her hair.

"Miss Roberts!" She squealed. "He's pullin' my hair!"

"I did not!" Morgan shot back.

"You have one more warning, and then you miss snack time." Miss Roberts warned. Morgan sighed as the teacher once again went on with her book.

"And the little duck…" Miss Roberts stopped seeing Morgan waving his hand around. "Yes Morgan?"

"I know a word that's kinda like duck it's fu--"

Harley clapped his small hand over Morgans' big mouth. Some of the children gasped and some giggled. Morgan was sent out to the hallway until the story was over and then Harley was sent to retrieve his cousin. He came back in moping.

Luckily, Matt had not received any phone calls from the principle. He was actually a bit surprised. He didn't expect Morgan had behaved perfectly but at least he had done nothing too bad. Morgan hopped into the car followed by Harley and Izzy. Matt drove to his brothers house and deposited two of the kids.

"So, I'm impressed. No phone calls from school."

"It was real boring Dad. Well, some of it was okay we got to play, but the teacher lady is really boring."

"Did you learn anything?"

Morgan bit his lip for a moment thinking and then shrugged.

"I don't 'member."

"Well, I was thinking, since you were good today we can celebrate your first day of school here in Cameron. Plus, you didn't get in trouble and that's good."

Morgan perked up and played with his seatbelt.

"What are we gonna do?"

"That was the coolest movie ever!" Morgan shrieked. The two were now headed for Baskin Robbins. Morgan ran up to the counter and peered through the glass at all the many flavors of colorful ice cream.

"What kind?"

"I don't know…that one maybe." Morgan pondered over the rainbow containers. "But that one looks pretty cool too."

Matt got a two kids scoops one of each flavor and Morgan seemed overjoyed.

"Look!" Morgan poked his tongue out. "Is it turnin' blue?"

"Yeah!"

"What did you get, can I taste it?"

Matt gave Morgan a taste. They were both having a really great time and Matt realized it was really fun to do something with Morgan other than having a yelling contest or chasing him around and dealing out (or at least attempting to deal out) discipline. Maybe Morgan would realize that too.

"Look what I can do!" Morgan licked his pink Baskin Robbins plastic spoon and then hung in on his nose and looked up at his dad giggling.

"Way cool." Matt assured him with a big grin.

"Can you do it?"

Matt copied his son and stuck his spoon to his nose and they both sat laughing at each other having a genuinely fun time. He hoped these time would come more often and push away the times when Morgan had to act up and get in trouble. He wanted to build a bond with his son and catch up for time that was lost. He wanted Morgan to realize that he really loved and cared for him and hopefully Morgan would find the same feelings toward him.

"Wanna taste mine?" Morgan took his spoon from his nose and filled it with some blue ice cream. He stuck it in his dads mouth.

"Is mine blue now?" Matt wiggled his tongue at his red headed son who laughed happily. Matt realized this was probably the happiest he had seen Morgan act since his mom had dumped him off. It was good to see the kid just have fun and laugh and not looking for something mischievous to do. Morgan looked at his dad who was hanging his tongue out with a spoon stuck to his nose. This guy wasn't so bad after all. In fact, Morgan was starting to like him.

Kody looked down at her daughter who was likewise looking down. Shawna gazed skeptically at her potty. Kody pulled down the little girls pants to sit her on the potty but Shawna started to scream and bang her balled up fists.

"Shawna, Mommy promises, there are no monsters in the potty."

Shawna leaned on the little arms of the little pink potty and peered into the little hole. She was afraid a slimy green arm or some yellow eyes would pop out at her. She pulled her head away and shook it dramatically back and forth.

"No!"

"Look baby, I'll show you." Kody squeezed her pajama clad rear into the little kiddie potty. "See! No monsters. Mommy's booty is just fine and pretty as ever."

Shawna smiled at her Mommy.

"Me hasta potty."

Kody went to stand up and let Shawna have her potty back. However...she couldn't. Her butt was stuck.

"Mom, pee in potty!"

"I know baby, Mommy's just..." Kody pulled and tugged at the pink potty that had her backside in its grasp. "Stupid thing, it's stuck!"

Shawna's eyes widened into terrified circles and ran out of the bathroom screaming at the top of her shrill little voice.

"Mons'er gots Mommy!"

Kody slumped back, defeated. A few moments later Jeff stood in the doorway grinning at her. Shawna peered around her daddy's leg fearfully.

"Mons'er gots her Daddy!"

"Hi Jeff baby." Kody giggled.

"It's okay Shawna angel. Daddy's are also monster-killers."

Jeff puffed up and furrowed his brows at the pink boogeyman clutching his wife's bottom. Kody stood with the thing clinging to her behind and her shoulders rose up and down with her hiccuping giggles.

"I shall slay the beast!" Jeff shouted as he grabbed the potty and pulled. "Geeze, it really is stu--" Suddenly the thing let go and Jeff went flying back into the bathtub, successfully snagging the shower curtain and pullying it and the rod down with a crash on top of himself. Kody collapsed with her laughter making her squirt tears from her eyes. Eddie popped his head in the bathroom to see just what his crazy family was up to. He put his ears down and quickly ducked back out.

"Mommy!" Shawna looked down at her feet and watched the puddle form. "Mommy I peed!"

_Uncle Sam wants you to Review! :D_


	9. Chapter 9: Snowjeff and Dummy Bear!

_Thank you to extremeshan81, iNdy MiLk, Hatter-Zombie.ate.your.brain, caspersmom, Dark Kaneanite, and 68 Stones from a broken heart for your reviews. I'm glad you liked the last chapter. _

Chapter 9

Autumn came and painted the leaves fiery reds, oranges, and yellows. Holidays came and went. Matt, Blaze, and Morgan headed to Indiana to visit Blaze's family before Christmas (it was more of an obligation Blaze felt to pay them a couple visits a year rather than the fact that he missed them, because he didn't). Up there the ground was blanketed with snow, it hung on the tree limbs like glitter, it made the phone wires sag. The three planned to be back home where warmer weather prevailed, with Jeff and family and Shannon and his girl friend Brooke. However, the unpredictability of Indiana weather prevented them from doing so when they became snowed in with Blaze's Dad, Dad's girlfriend, his sister, and his sister's husband and their adopted daughter Emma. Blaze regretted they had come. He could handle a few days with them, barely, but the more snow storms were in the forecast. Even when the damn weather let up it would still be hard enough to get out of here. The small house was located basically out in the middle of nowhere and the roads, some gravel, the lucky ones paved with uncountable chuck-holes, would not see a snowplow. Maybe Mr. McNair who lived miles down the way would get his old tractor to wheeze to a start and maybe he would plow them out. Mr. McNair was still alive, right?

"Well, lookin' like you boys are stuck here for a while." Ray-Lynn, Dad's live in girlfriend said as she chewed her gum like a cow ruminating cud. Blaze slumped against the worn couch. The room had never changed since he had lived here. Well, that was not completely true. There was more dust each time he visited covering everything in a fine layer but that was about it. The room dawned old paneling on the walls and above his Dad's chair that smells like stale beer and pork rinds and where no one would ever dare place his rear, is a Confederate flag that has been there since Blaze can remember. There are some family photos, a large bass mounted to the wall that Dad had snagged some time or another guarded the t.v. with its mouth hung wide open. It was in a way comforting. His whole time at home had not been bad, just the teenage years when he had struggled with and at last came out with his sexuality. Then, things had slipped downhill. There were many fights and battles and luckily there were no neighbors to hear his fathers booming, curse-filled rants. He was almost surprised his Dad still let him in when he came for visits. The disapproving look in his eyes, his quietness around Blaze and Matt, or the way he would just find things to gripe about like now were just hurtful and hard to deal with.

"That's fine, just dandy." Dad groaned. "Ray, I need another beer baby." Ray-Lynn rose to get one and Dad slapped her ass. Blaze tried not to be embarrassed by his family because he really did care for them, and because he knew how it made him feel that they were ashamed of him, but sometimes he just wanted to crawl into a hole. Dad laughed and then started to cough a nasty deep sound. Emma and Morgan were spread out on the floor playing Guess Who. Once in a while one of them looked up from the game and asked if they could go outside and play in the snow. It didn't sound like a bad idea to Blaze if nothing more than to just get out of the small house for a while. He wondered where they would all sleep, because before getting snowed in, it had been just Blaze, Matt, and Morgan and there was room for them. However Lacey, Andy, and Emma had not planned on staying the night.

"Really coming down." Dad said gravely as he gazed out the window and watched the white flakes fall. He turned to Blaze and Matt with a wry grin on his face. "'Course you two don't have to worry about gettin' out and drivin' in this shit. You guys are a couple a' faires, guess you could just fly away huh?" He cracked up with laughter again. Andy tried to stifle a few snorts but was unsuccessful at his attempt. Matt said nothing and Blaze tried to ignore the man's "humor" which reminded him of Mr. Roper from 'Three's Company'. Ray-Lynn came back with Dad's beer and sat on his knee.

"Mom, can me and Morgan please go outside and play? Please?" Emma looked up at her mother hopefully. Lacey rolled her eyes disgusted with her daughter's persistence.

"Go on, you are drivin' me bonkers."

Matt and Blaze followed the kids outside ready for a chance to get away for a while. The cold bit any exposed skin and turned their noses and cheeks red. Since moving to North Carolina Blaze had not missed winter at all. Matt jerked his head around to see where the snowball had come from. The back of his head was dripping with snow. He turned to see Blaze shrug as though he didn't know who had thrown the offending snowball. Soon the two were galloping around the front yard which was over a foot deep with snow. They were having just as much fun as the kids. Morgan and Em joined in and pelted the adults with snowballs and then ran off screeching as Blaze and Matt followed after.

Morgan turned back to see his Dad's coming after he and Emma. Their breath puffed out in white plumes. Emma stopped suddenly and held her mittened hand out in a gesture for Matt and Blaze to halt. Matt stopped first and then Blaze bumped into him from behind nearly toppling them both over.

"Wait, it's not fair. You guys are grown ups, you can't just pick on us. We're kids." She adjusted her hat and pulled it down further over her ears. "I'm on your team!" She pointed to Blaze and made her way to him.

The team of Matt and Morgan eventually won the snowball fight when everyone got tired of being chased and pummeled. The four flopped down into the snow and watched as it still came down. Emma poked her tongue out.

"Look, I can catch the snow flakes."

Everyone else followed her lead. Matt and Blaze had reverted to childhood. The sight of the four of them laying in the snow sticking out their tongues would be funny to anyone passing by.

"Snow angels!" Morgan shouted and moved his arms and legs in a motion which would make an angel-like pattern on the ground. Once again the other three followed and moved their arms and legs to make the pattern. Matt and Blaze started to laugh as they thought of how silly they must look. However, it was quite fun.

"Y'know what guys…" Matt piped up. "It's really, really, cold out here."

In reply Blaze snuffed his nose which had started to drip.

"We can't go in yet!" Em whined. "We gotta make snowmen!"

"Yeah, besides, we don't get snow at home so I wanna play in it when I can!" Morgan put in.

"Come on Uncle Blaze, I bet we can make a way cooler snowman than they can." Emma sat up and dumped snow onto Blaze's face. He brushed it away with his freezing fingers and then went to follow Emma to where she started to roll the base of the snowman.

Emma stood back from the creation proudly. It was mostly hers, Blaze only helped with rolling the snowballs and stacking them. She wrapped her pink scarf around the neck of the snowman and nodded approvingly. She turned to see Morgan run into the house and moments later run back out carrying something. She walked over to him where he was putting some finishing touches on his snowman.

"Hey, that's my doll!" Em scolded as she saw that Morgan had her blue haired doll.

"Morg, don't tear up Emma's--" Matt tried but Morgan had already shoved the doll down into the snowman's head so nothing but the doll's blue hair stuck out of the snowman's head, making it look like he now had blue hair.

"What are you doing!" Emma glared. "Your snowman looks dumb enough anyway, mine wins!"

"Your's is all in pink…" Morgan looked at Emma's snowman which wore her pink mittens, scarf, and hat.

"So, it's a snowGIRL." Emma said proudly. "What's yours, freakman?" She watched as Morgan put his arm socks—which had previously been his uncles—over the sticks he and Matt had stuck in the snowman's torso for arms. Matt started to laugh when he realized what Morgan was doing.

"No, it's Snowjeff." Said Morgan stepping back from his Jeff-like snowman. Matt laughed harder when Blaze came up and cocked his head at the creation.

"That's dumb." Em pouted and trudged up to the house. Matt took out his phone and clicked a picture of 'Snowjeff' and sent it to his little brother who was at home in a much warmer climate.

"Ha…" Jeff poked Kody. "Look at this, Morgan made me into a snowman."

Kody came over to the couch with icing on her hands and leaned over to look at the picture. It was just too cute.

"Mom!" Harley called from the kitchen. "Shawna sneezed o-on my cookie!"

Kody left Jeff to watching t.v. and went back into the kitchen with her kids. For some reason she had thought it would be a good idea to make gingerbread men. However, it was just turning into a mess, via a young little Hardy girl who was playing in the icing.

"Dinderbed man!" Shawna said stealing a gummy-bear button from Harley's cookie and popping it into her mouth with a grin.

"Sh-sh-awna…stop runnin' my stuff." He stuck his finger into some blue icing and smeared it on her face. She shrieked and dug her own little hands into pink icing and flung it at her brother.

"Guys, no, we're not having--" Kody was cut short when Shawna flung a dollop of pink icing into her hair. "Thanks girl, I guess you're trying to tell me I need to re-color my hair." Kody grabbed a towel and wiped the glob out of her hair. Shawna dumped a wad off cookie dough onto the floor and giggled. "No, Shawna, stop making messes."

"No!" Shawna shouted and stole another gummy bear from Harley's cookie. "Me has dummy bear!" Before Kody could stop her she had jammed the red little critter up her nose. "Why?" Kody shook her head and sat the little girl on her hip and carried her in to her father.

"Do you do extractions?" Kody asked her husband who raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

"Shawna, gummy bear, nose."

Shawna smiled up at her Daddy with her big brown eyes.

"Ups nose." She said and jammed her finger into her nose.

"Stop it angel." Jeff pulled her finger out of her nose and she gave him a look of annoyance that he dare disturb her from her endeavors.

"No!"

"Yes." Jeff tilted her head back and looked. "Um…" Kody had disappeared back into the kitchen to clean up messes and in her place Harley sat on his knees peering eagerly at his sister and Dad.

"Will it go up to her brain?" He asked looking up his sisters' nose. Jeff laughed at his son.

"No, it won't. Go get some tweezers from the bathroom Big H."

Shawna tried to poke the index finger of her other hand up her nose but Jeff detained that to. He now held both of his daughters hands to keep them from messing around with her nose. She started to fuss and whine and through a tantrum because he was not letting her have her way. Harley appeared with nail clippers.

"This?"

"No…here hold your sister's hands so she can't put anything else up her nose."

Harley did what he was told and Jeff went to rummage for tweezers.

"No, no, no!" Shawna shouted and kicked her feet at Harley. She kicked up into quite a gale of wailing, screaming, and tears until she started to choke because of her own doing. It was really because the lodged candy had slipped and was now stuck in her throat gagging her. Suddenly Shawna gagged too much and the gummy bear along with dinner landed on the couch.

"Gross!" Harley cried. Shawna looked down and pointed.

"Dummy Bear!"

"Mom, Shawna barfed!"

As Kody was now cleaning up another, less pleasant, mess Jeff returned holding the tweezers.

"Where did she go?" The rainbow haired warrior asked.

"It's okay, crisis is over." Kody let him know. "She got it out on her own."

"One crises over, on to the next!" Jeff said pumping his fist into the air.

"The next crisis is going to be me all over you, get out of here Jeffro."

He laughed and tilted her head upward and kissed her lips.

"I can handle that kind of crisis." He gave her a wink with one of his amazing green eyes. A sly smile crossed Kodys' face and curved her pinkish lips.

"Baby, if you loved me, you'd clean this up for me."

"I…um…" Jeff stammered. "Y'know I have some pesky wax I have to clean out of my ears." She slapped him on the butt playfully as he dug his pinky into his ear and made a silly childish face at her.

"I think some of it has gone to your brain!"

_Like it, love it, find it dumb, whatever. Lemme know. I love the idea of "Snowjeff" it's cute. I can just see it. :D Peace and Love to all!_


	10. Chapter 10: Shan's Girls, Emma's Ghost

_Arg, let me first apologize. I was going back and reading the last chapter and I noticed there were a lot of errors. I went back and fixed them and the chap is now reposted and cleaned up. I hate having sloppy writing and I apologize. It probably had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that I wrote it around 2:30am…lol. I wanted to update all day that day but couldn't get the muse going. Then as I was lying in bed 'snowjeff' came to me and the thought of Shawna sticking a gummy bear up her nose followed soon after, so naturally I just had to write :) The muses often don't come when they're called they have to come at all ungodly hours of the night or when I'm in the middle of class or something…grrrr…So anyway, I'm doing it again…it's now nearing 3am. groans I started actually around 12 but it took me forever to get the whole thing out. Curse the muses. Thanks of course to those who read and reviewed including: Dark Kaneanite, iNdy MiLk, caspersmom, Painleust, and FearlessHardy. Now good night all! _

Chapter 10

The four kids—two who were very big kids—came back into the house shivering, sniffling, and dripping with snow.

"Hot chocolate." Lacey smiled at her daughter and blew on a mug of steaming hot chocolate. Emma peeled of her winter gear (at least what she still had on, some of it was still outside on she and Blaze's 'snowgirl'. She dumped her coat on the floor and hopped around on one foot as she tried to tug off her purple boots. The two kids walked passed Blaze's father who was on the couch, his girl on top of him, making out with him. Morgan and Emma disappeared into the kitchen where Lacey had their mugs waiting. Matt and Blaze went to the small bedroom to change out of their wet clothes. It was hard to tell if it was a girls or boys room. There was a mish-mash of colors and male and female décor. A decrepit looking bunk bed hugged one wall. The bottom sported a brown and orange afghan and the one up top was draped with a worn pink and purple quilt. The bottom one was home to a stuffed raccoon which had seen better days and the top had a couple of heart shaped pillows. It was the room Lacey and Blaze had shared as kid. It was small with just room for the bunk beds, a dresser, a desk, a tall lamp, and a closet with its door hanging lopsided on its tracks. Blaze smiled remembering times he had spent with his sister, sometimes freaking her out with scary stories, and sometimes climbing up onto her top bunk and hanging out with her and her girlfriends as the giggled and did each others hair and talked about boys. Lacey always had girls staying at the house and Blaze always tagged along and they didn't mind. The teenagers always fussed over him and thought that Lacey's baby brother was just so adorable. He was just happy enough that they befriended him. At school he tended to be teased a lot for being shy and quiet. He was eleven when his sister left for college making him feel more alone than ever. To make thins worse, he started to change as boys will, and he discovered the horrifying fact that he was attracted to other boys. That was a bad year. He was sixteen when he came out to his family and it was a bad idea. He should have waited until he was eighteen and could leave the house rather than being stuck there for two more years with the awful arguments between he and his father, the disapproving looks from his mother who was always shoving her religion in his face, and the coldness that followed after his parents realized he was serious about this whole thing. Their son was _that way._ All these years later, at thirty-one years of age, nothing had really changed. Not even this room had changed. On the wall above the dresser was scribbled the phone number of his first boyfriend. Lacey still had pictures of she and her friends tucked into the corners of the mirror. Blaze turned to Matt and was going to point out the phone number on the wall and talk about his first boyfriend just to tease Matt and make him jealous. However, Matt came up behind him and peeled his cold, wet, shirt up over his head. It was only then that Blaze realized he had still been shivering from the cold outside and the cold in this room that leaked in around the widow. That's why there was a space heater by the bunks. Matt wrapped his arms around Blaze and drew him close. Matt had also stripped his shirt off. Blaze could feel his warm flesh pressing against his and he sighed as Matt laid soft kisses down his neck.

"I love you." Matt mumbled. Blaze rested in his arms just content to feel him close.

"Where's my other three boys?" Legend asked referring to Matt, Blaze, and Morgan.

"They're snowed in." Jeff let his dad know. The house was filled with wonderful smells from Kody cooking dinner. The house was filled with people as it was often. Shan sat on the couch with his girl Melissa cuddling into his chest. He played with her blonde hair lazily. Eddie sat at his feet wagging his tail and waiting to get his head scratched. Harley chased a screaming Shawna through the living room. She held in her hands his GI Joe and HBK action figures which she had hijacked. Izzy followed behind giggling. Her blond curls bounced on her shoulders. Stella and Chuck talked over their wedding plans with a delighted Kody. Despite the fact that her parents Marge and Frank were there, Kody was in high spirits. Marge's stinky little dog Percy pranced around with his nails clicking on the tile floor of the kitchen. He poked his nose in the air and sniffed the aromas. Shawna veered off toward the couch where Legend sat and she tripped over his foot and then sat up laughing. Legend scooped her up and she handed him her brother's HBK action figure and grandpa and granddaughter played with GI Joe and Shawn Michaels. Jeff was showing the photo of 'snowjeff' to Izzy's parents Mike and Jackie. Matt, Blaze, and even rambunctious trouble-maker Morgan were missed by all.

"Oh no!" Kody teased her son. "You and Izzy are under the mistletoe…"

Harley looked up and sure enough he and Izzy were under the accursed thing.

"Mom!" Harley whined. "It's not even Christmas yet, why do you got that up?" Izzy grinned sheepishly and pressed a kiss to his lips. There were simultaneous 'aaaaws' from many of the adults and Harley turned bright red and wished to find a hole to crawl into.

"Aren't they adorable?" Melissa asked gazing at her man. His blue eyes were amazing. She kissed him. Shan wrapped his arms around Melissa. They were growing close. It did feel good to be close to her but at the same time it did stir up some anxieties. He was a little scared that she was falling in love with him, and the problem was, he loved Kody. As much as he tried to cast away those feelings he couldn't. Nearly a year ago he had risked his life for that woman and he would do it again in a heartbeat. Jeff was one lucky man to have that amazing woman as his wife. Shan's hand went to his ribs as he was reminded of his scars from the knife. Melissa kissed him again longer and deeper and then broke away and rested her head on his chest. She was beautiful, sweet, loving, but she wasn't…Kody. Shan was annoyed with himself. He had to get over this. He had to have his own woman and his own life instead of crushing on someone elses. He smiled at her and brushed her fair hair away from her milky skin. He did care for her.

"Break it up kids." Jeff said as he sat on Shan's other knee.

"Hey baby." Shan teased and wrapped one arm around Jeff's waist. Kody snapped a picture of the three.

"My turn!" She handed her camera off to Jeff who got up and allowed his wife to take his former seat on Shannon's knee.

"Kody, kiss his cheek." Melissa instructed. "It'll be cute!"

Both women pressed kisses to each of Shan's cheeks and let Jeff snap a photo.

"Pretty good with the ladies?" Jeff ribbed Shan.

"Hell yeah!" Shannon tickled the two women who shrieked. Eddie sat at his feet and yapped. Shawna climbed down from Legend's lap leaving him with mini-Michaels. She climbed into Shan's lap between her mom and Melissa and kissed Shannon's nose.

"Mine!" She shouted and wrapped her arms around his neck. "My S!" She settled herself in his lap and snuggled. Melissa and Kody left him with the little girl curled against his chest. Shannon stroked Shawna's pretty blonde curls and wondered for a moment what kind of child he and Kody would have. He quickly pushed that thought away, as it was foolish and inappropriate.

"Me loves S." Shawna said yawing up at him. Her eyes were growing weary, her lids threatened to close over her warm brown eyes. She screwed her fist into one of them and then leaned back against Shannon's chest once more. He watched Melissa and Kody who were in the kitchen laughing at something Jeff had said. They had been together for close to a year and Melissa wanted to move things along and move in together. Maybe they should, maybe that would help his feelings grow for her and at last put to rest his infatuation with his best friend's wife.

"Damn it!" Blaze kicked the space heater. It had died. The small room was chilly and his sister hand hijacked most of the blankets from the closet. She and Andy, who was a small guy, could actually fit onto the top bunk fairly easily. Before the space heater decided to take a dump Blaze was sleeping on the floor curled up next to it and Matt was snoring softly in his old bed. Now Blaze was shivering and longing to crawl in next to Matt. However, two men who are over six feet tall and over two hundred pounds do not easily fit into a twin bed.

"Mmmm…what's wrong?" Matt mumbled rubbing at his eyes. He leaned over the edge of the bed and looked down at his scowling partner.

"Space heater….ancient old fucker…"

"I'm not ancient…" Matt joked with a yawn. "Come up here."

"Yeah right, only if you want to play sardines."

"You're gonna get cold…here." Matt dumped his blanket onto Blaze who then started to argue with him about it.

"Shut up down there!" Andy barked.

"Well you two hogs could donate to my cause!" Blaze called up to them, hoping his sister would toss one of her covers down there. She and Andy had more than they needed. There was no reply but some shifting on the top bunk and a sigh.

"It's okay, take it back." Blaze tried shoved the blanket at Matt.

"No!"

"Shut the hell up!" And threw one of the heart shaped pillows onto Blaze's head. Matt and Blaze kept up their arguing in whispers.

Morgan and Emma huddled on the couch, each had taken an end and cuddled there under the covers. Emma pressed her face to the cold glass window. At last the snow had quit falling. Fortunately for the guests, the oncoming snow storm had changed paths and so they would at least not have to deal with more of the demonic stuff. Morgan looked around the darkened room.

"I can't sleep." He whispered.

"Me either." Emma turned to him. "Know what?" The older girl asked. "We should tell ghost stories!"

"Cool!"

Emma lay back against her pillow thinking.

"Once…there was a family that lived waaay out in the country. Nobody else lived out there just them. People used to say that the road outside their house was haunted with a ghost that got killed by a snowplow."

"You mean a person that got killed by a snow plow." Morgan corrected.

"That's what I said, now shut up and let me go on!" She frowned, then continued.

"Anyway, the man got ran over by a snowplow and knocked into the ditch by the cornfield. He laid there bleeding and when people drived by no one saw him and if they did, no one wanted to help."

"How come nobody helped him?" Morgan asked in a small voice.

"Because, they're going to visit their families and they don't have time. Quit interuptin' me. What was I sayin'? Oh yeah, well see the man died because no one came to help him. They say that he only comes out at winter because that's when he died. He walks up and down the road and scares anyone that drives. Sometimes there's even bloody footprints in the snow. They say he's just tyrin' to find someone to help him, but just like when he died, nobody will. One night the kids that lived in the house were all by themselves. It was really cold and dark and scary, the moon was out full, and everyone knows all kinds of bad stuff happens then." Emma and Morgan stared at each other wide eyes. Morgan pulled the covers a little tighter around him. "So…it was a night just like tonight. The kids were all by themselves and they couldn't sleep. They were up tellin' ghost stories just like this when all's a sudden, somethin' slammed into the window. When they looked up they seen the man pushed up against the window, he was all soaked in blood and half his face was missin' and he moaned and groaned for them to help him but--" There was a crash from outside and the two kids shrieked and just nearly jumped out of their skins. Morgan ducked under the covers so only the top of his red head poked out and he hissed at Emma.

"What was that!" It was only a large icicle falling from the house and crashing into the bushes. But the kids didn't know that and neither one had the nerve to peek over the back of the couch and look at the window to see if it was streaked with blood or to look out over the snow and see if it was dappled with crimson footprints.

"I'm scared!" Emma squeaked close to tears. "I'm goin' to sleep with the grown ups!" With that Emma snagged the blankets and made a bee line for the bedroom. Morgan followed behind quickly not daring to look at the window, for fear he would see a man pressing his half-missing face to the glass.

Blaze and Matt had just got situated well enough for them to both sleep in the bed. It was crowded…but doable. Just as Matt was drifting to sleep Morgan bounced onto him and Emma climbed up on Blaze.

"Ooof!" Matt groaned as his son kneed him in a bad area. "Morg, what are you doing?" Morgan burrowed under the covers and Emma did to and Matt moved to make room for them which resulted in Blaze tumbling to the floor with a crash. "Sorry Baby."

"What's going on?" Blaze growled.

"There's a guy outside that got hit by a snowplow!" Morgan bawled.

"What?" Blaze and Matt both echoed.

"Shut the fuck up!" Andy yelled again and the top bunk squeaked as he moved around.

"No, I mean not really…I don't think. We were tellin' ghost stories and…well…" Emma huddled up to Matt feeling safe next to the strong man.

"It's okay, I'll take over the couch."

"Don't do it Blaze!" Morgan warned.

"If there's some dead guy in there I'll give him some flowers okay?" Blaze left the kids clinging to Matt. He curled up on the couch. In the morning he woke up to a killer headache and a sore body. His first thought was that it was just from sleeping on the couch, at least that was until he realized his throat felt raw and he couldn't breathe from his nose. He flopped back onto his pillow and wished he was home.

_Knock knock! Who's there? Review. Review who? Review you! Okay, I can't remember if I've used that joke before, it's way lame…lol. Thanks for taking time to read hugs to all!_


	11. Chapter 11: Home Is Where The Heart Is

_Note: (although not a quick one, sry.) This chapter turned out longer than expected, but I really loved it. I like al the cute little family moments, but at the same time I was getting a bit lazy with the writing (at least I felt) and I wanted to bring it back to the main point, which is Matt discovering how to be a father and the relationship between he and Morgan. I know those cute little times also showed how they were growing close, but I had a lot more to say with this chapter. The others were entertaining but they were kind of lacking some emotion and I don't know, maybe I'm just rambling too much. I am glad you have enjoyed this fic as of thus far though, I'm really appreciative of all the reviews. I honestly thought that 'Love: A Twist of Fate' was the best so far, yet it has got the least reviews and this has the most. Maybe it is because of the more family orientation, which I do enjoy. I don't have a family yet so I kind of like imagining some of the little family moments and hoping I can share in similar moments someday, like wonderful little Shawna and her love of sticking things up her nose or the toilet monster or the boys fighting. I know it seems a lot of the fics out there are extremely sexual, and I do read some of them, but for me it is nice to take a step back once in a while and read something that is more than lust and passion, not that those are not good fics! I just like to once in a while read the family type fics or ones that have a bit more substance. I like to think maybe I can address issues as well, I mean I feel like there is a lot to be said for the strong relationship between Matt and Blaze, and now for the fact that there is a child involved. I know I am going on way too much with this note and you all just want to read…but I hope that my fics are just more than entertaining but that maybe they are somehow touching and thought provoking. I know I probably don't necessarily stick to the Hardy's characters as much as many other writers, and at first I was a little concerned, but I have fallen in love with my characters and I don't claim them to be reflective of the real people. They are my Matt and Jeff and Shan and they are what I write them. I find them endearing and lovable and only hope the readers do too. Now, enough enough, I know. I'm really sorry, I don't know what is in me tonight, lol. I just hope you are enjoying my writing on many levels. Love to all out there, I know I don't know any of you personally, yet I do feel a connection to many of you. Thank you for your reviews, they mean a lot! (and no just incase anything I said gave an impression that this was the last chapter, it isn't. For some odd reason both of my prior Hardy fics ended with chapter 17 and it wasn't planned that way. We'll see if this one turns out the same, that would be weird. But I still have more to go. Thanks to all who reviewed the previous chapter, I'm not going to list names seeing as how this note is already insanely long, you know who you are and you are greatly appreciated. Now I will shut up and let you read the good stuff.)_

Chapter 11

Blaze was awfully sick the whole day and his father who was getting tired of all the company, especially the part of the company that he felt had an immoral relationship, and so his griping was worse and worse. There had been a point when Blaze had went to the back porch with a blanket and huddled up on the steps in tears because he felt so horrible and his Dad wouldn't quit with the hell. His head pounded non-stop and it wasn't just one of those headaches that is reserved for your forehead or temples. It's the kind that makes you feel like you stuck your head in a pressure cooker. It just felt like at any moment his skull would burst wide open and that would be a relief. His head throbbed, pressure pushed at the back of his eyes and made them pound, his ears felt full and painful, his nose was stuffed up to the point he had to breath from his mouth, even his teeth hurt. He just wanted to be injected with a tranquilizer and then have someone wake him up when it was spring. His fever had him hot and stuffy and cold and shivery at the same time. His body groaned at him when he tried to move and when he did get up to walk somewhere it was like walking in a fog. Then his Dad with the non stop harassment just helped things so much.

"Guess Matt here won't be getting' no service for a while. Can't breathe through your nose then you can't have your mouth stuffed full of cock…"

"It's only a case of the sniffles. What a baby…Matt your woman's down what are you going to do have to start playing the bitch role?"

That's the line that had drove Blaze out of the house finally. Maybe he was the one in the relationship who leaned more towards that role but he wasn't a woman and he wasn't as feminine as his Dad made him out to be. He could hear voices arguing inside but he wasn't sure what they were saying.

"Don't talk about him that way! He's my other Dad!" Morgan shouted to the old man. He really didn't like him. All he had been doing since they had got here was looking weird at Blaze and Matt and making rude jabs and jokes at them.

"My other Dad, would you listen to that garbage? They shouldn't even let types like you have kids! What did you do anyway, your woman's pussy got too loose so you found Blaze's?" Blaze's father laughed mean spirited. Andy joined in and slapped his knee. Lacey frowned at the two men but said nothing.

"People like me shouldn't have kids?" Matt growled. He was in a poor mood already but this just shoved him over the edge. The petty little jibs here and there could be ignored but as the family was being shut in with each other for too long things were getting way out of hand. It was now an attack on his lover and his status as a father. "Fuck you old man, I've heard just about enough out of you!" Matt's fists balled at his sides. He had not been this mad for a very long time. He felt like grabbing Blaze's father Denny by his throat with one hand then grabbing Andy with the other and banging their stupid, backwards, heads together. "You are the one that shouldn't be a parent!" Matt spit the words out like something nasty tasting. "All you do is put your son down, hell if I was Blaze I wouldn't even come to see you! All he wants from you is love and just because he's not attracted to women you deny it? That's bullshit! At least you can keep your mouth shut and not take cracks all the time, Blaze and I happen to love each other and if you think that's wrong then that's fine, just keep it to yourself and keep your fucking mouth shut!"

Matt stormed off to the small bedroom to gather their things together. He didn't care if he had to dig their car out using a spoon he was getting them out of here and soon. He couldn't stand any more time under the roof with this man.

Morgan wondered out to the back porch where he found Blaze shivering in the cold and wiping his raw nose on a blanket. He rested his small hand on the man's quaking shoulders.

"Hey." Morgan sat down next to him.

"Hey, Borgan." Blaze said best as he could with his head on the verge of exploding. "Did he shud up yet?"

Morgan smirked.

"Well, after my Dad told him off he kinda just sat there with his mouth sorta open." Morgan paused. "Are you okay?"

"Sure, you need to go in it's cold out here." It sounded funny, more like 'you need do go id, it's code oud here'.

"Well you're the one that's sick. But anyways…I know how you feel. My Mom don't show me she loves me very much, but…she does." Morgan remembered his conversation with Harley one night, when Harley had assured him his Mom loved him but just didn't know how to be a good mother. "He just don't know how to act right."

"You god thad right." Blaze snarled. "Prick."

"What's a prick?"

"Nebber mide." Blaze tried to snuff his nose but it only made things feel worse. It felt like someone was driving sticks through his ears and that a mini version of Triple H was running around inside his head with a sledge hammer and banging and banging and banging.

"What did you say? Oh…you said never mind."

Blaze nodded.

"Well don't worry about the prick, me and Dad loves you so that's all that matters." Morgan draped his arm over Blaze's shoulder.

"Borgan, that's nod a gud word okay?"

"Okay."

The car ride home was treacherous. First and even before the car ride there was a bundled Matt Hardy trying to dig his car out at break neck speed. He was doing fine and actually feeling good while throwing chunks of snow and ice all around. It kind of helped him take out some of his frustrations until his back clenched up on him. He was damned if he was asking anyone in that house for help however, and so went on trying to push through. Blaze even wandered outside like a zombie. His poor, beautiful, blue eyes were swollen and he almost needed a translator to speak but he wanted to help Matt dig the car out after noticing that he was in pain with every scoop of the shovel. Matt had to manually steer him back into the house because they were standing out in the cold bickering about it. Blaze stayed inside for a while but then again he came out and insisted on helping. He ignored Matt's grumbles for him to stay inside. Despite his half-here half-in another world state he managed to find a shovel in his Dad's garage and help a muttering Matt with the driveway. The drive home was horrible, it seemed to last forever. Matt took four extra strength pain relievers in attempt to shut up his griping back and then felt like he was trying to drive the car while having a contact high. The glaring white of the snow all around killed Blaze's eyes and even when he shut them tight the white light still managed to hurt. The sound of the cars on the highway seemed to be magnified and his ears screamed until no end. After more than four hours he rummaged in the glove compartment of the car and found some Tylenol PM and took a couple and passed out happily for the rest of the ride home. Morgan kept to himself, though bored as he was, he knew better than to act up at a time like this.

Through all the years Matt had been on the road many times, and he had come home many times. There was no home coming that had felt as good as this one had. He managed to wake Blaze from his slumber and helped him up to the bed where he passed out again dead to the world. Morgan got his bath while Matt dragged in the luggage and plopped down in the couch for a few moments just to enjoy the fact that he was home, in his house, in Cameron, with no dumbass relatives. It was nice to just pass the time that way, enjoying the quietness and warmth of the home he shared with Blaze and Morgan. It really is true, that home is where the heart is. Matt lay back against the couch pillows thinking over many things until he heard small feet padding down the stairs. Morgan leaned over the stair banister and blinked his tired green eyes at his father.

"I'm goin' to bed, 'kay dad?" Morgan disappeared upstairs. Matt heaved himself from the couch with a groan. The pain reliever was wearing off and his back was killing him from the snow shoveling and the long drive home. He hobbled up the stairs feeling like an old man. Well, he thought to himself, you are 39 now. Only one more year left till the big one…then my life is surely over.

Matt held Morgan and read to him. The two were perched on Morgan's bed. Morgan rested happily against his Dad's chest. His bright red hair, still wet from his bath, made his father's shirt grow damp. It had taken long enough, but now, after being here for almost six months, Morgan was home. He still had his mean streaks, he had too much of his mother in him to be completely tame and docile (and the Hardy in him contributed to his mischievous ventures) but he no longer lived his life in one big attempt to pester the adults that were in it. He was glad to open his eyes each morning to Matt waking him up, even if it was a school morning. He liked to play with Blaze and see the love that his two Dads had for each other. He had never seen that sort of love between Mom and any of her men. It had been odd for a while to get used to the dynamics of two men, but it was now normal to him and Blaze was just a second mother or father. He was glad to spend time with his Uncle Jeff and Aunt Kody and his cousins Harley and Shawna. He even liked Shannon who acted like one of the kids himself. When Matt read to him before bed and then tucked him under the covers, he felt safe and secure. He felt loved and not in a fleeting, conditional, love that came with bitter words and slaps, but one that was permanent and unconditional with smiles and hugs and warm brown eyes that belonged to his Dad. His mother was thought of less and less and the wounds she had opened in him were healing and he was finding he could have a family and a life without her. He was only a little boy, but many things were not lost on him. Children pick up more and are smarter than most adults give them credit for. He snuggled into his father and tried to keep his eyes open. He didn't want the moment to end. Matt's soft southern voice had become a comfort to him and the words of the story, which he had heard over and over, didn't really matter. All that mattered was the voice behind them.

Matt closed the book and ran his fingers through his son's damp hair. The mad, spiteful, little boy he had once been drove crazy by was docile at the moment and more importantly, he was happy. Matt could never imagine that he would love anyone as much as he loved the little boy in his lap. He had been afraid on some level that missing the first five years of the boys life would put a wedge between them and that bonding and building a relationship would be all but impossible. Morgan had led him to this conclusion in the beginning what with him shaving Lucas and causing every trouble he could imagine. However, Matt had no parenting skills and he had never stopped to consider that Morgan was doing this out of the hurt and confusion his mother had caused him. All Morgan had wanted was to go home with his mother because that was familiar and in its own way comforting. However, feelings had shifted and now this was his home. Matt looked around the room which had once been a guest room. It was now his son's. Morgan had wanted it to be blue so he and Matt and Blaze had made a project of painting it and around the trim and windows it was a bit sloppy from where Morgan had gotten a bit wild with the paint or from where Matt and Blaze had started a paint fight. Matt smiled at the memory. Those little drips and smudges only made the room better because they were remnants of the memories that were made here.

Morgan's crayon drawings were tapped to the walls, his Christmas list was tapped to the door so Matt and Blaze could see it. Tucked in the mirror on the dresser were a couple of strips of photos from one of those photo booths where the three guys had snapped silly photos. In one of them the three were just grinning as happy as can be. My family, Matt thought. When Matt had come to the realization that he was gay, and that Blaze was his soul mate, he had never gave a thought about not having children. It was not a struggle he just accepted that Blaze was his family and he didn't need children to complete that. However, since Morgan had been thrown in to the mix, he now could not imagine he and Blaze without the boy. It just made things seem even more perfect, or at least added another level of completion. He held the boy closer to his chest. He had brought a different kind of vibrancy to the house, and even to Matt and Blaze's relationship. Matt had thought things had been perfect before, but Morgan only proved that things could always get better.

Matt had once defined himself by his wrestling career. He had once had that as his main goal in life. Five years later, things had changed so much. He still loved wrestling, but it was his second passion. Nothing was more important to him now than his family. It was something he should have got in order even before meeting Blaze. He could have been a better brother to Jeff at times, but he had allowed other things to be more important. His career was still running well, but it now took back seat to his family. Matt pressed a kiss to his son's head and the boy looked up at him with his glimmering green eyes swimming.

"Dad?"

"Yeah?"

Morgan swallowed and looked down at his hands before turning his eyes upwards back to his Dad's loving gaze.

"I'm sorry that I acted really shi—crappy when I first got here. I wanted you to send me home." He said quietly, in a near whisper.

"That's okay buddy…I didn't get it, but I guess I'm doing better in the Dad department too, huh?" Matt hugged his son. "It's learning process for both of us."

"Not too bad." Morgan teased and Matt gave him a few tickles. After hushing up a few last giggles and wiping some tears from his eyes Morgan wrapped his arms around his Dad's neck and whispered into his ear. "I love you…I don't want to go home no more. I am home."

Matt held the little boy and felt tears trickle down his cheeks. He couldn't even say anything back for a few moments it choked him up so much. He knew Morgan had been very attached to his mother and how badly the boy had wanted to go home. To hear that he was happy here, that he was happy with Matt and Blaze, there were no words. Matt drew in a breath and it sounded more like a sob than he wanted it to. Morgan released his grasp around his Dad's neck and wiped the tears away with his small hands.

"Dad, don't cry!"

"They're happy tears Morg. I love you too!" Matt wrapped his son in his arms and his ears hurt at the smile that stretched across his face. After a few moments, Morgan whispered again.

"Dad…"

"Yeah?" Matt snuffled.

"You're crushin' me!"

"Sorry!" Matt said with a laugh and released his son and wiped a few stray tears from his eyes.

Matt tucked the blankets up to his son's chin and kissed his forehead. Normally Blaze would be here too giving his goodnights and hugs but he was in no condition. Right now was just a special moment reserved for father and son anyway. It was a moment Matt would cherish as long as he lived, and even if he grew old enough to forget his own name, he would never forget this. He lingered a moment longer watching his son's sleepy eyes struggle to stay open and at last close. The boy breathed softly with his mouth slightly open. His fiery curls were beginning to dry and fly out all over the place in crazy swirls. Matt smiled and left the boy to his dreams, a feeling that all is well with the world, or at least with this little slice of it, blossomed in his chest.

Matt made his way down the hall to the bedroom he and Blaze shared, although as of tonight Matt would be taking up residence on the couch to avoid getting a hold of whatever Blaze had. Matt had made a joke of scolding Blaze earlier in the car: And that's why you wear a hat when you go out to play in the snow young man!

His lover and best friend was sleeping curled on his side. The covers were kicked off and waded up at the foot of the bed where Lucas was using them as cushion. The wee dog opened one eye and gazed at his owner sleepily. Matt gave the dog a quick scratch behind the ears and when he was done the little dog sighed contentedly and tucked his nose under his paws. Matt shook Blaze a bit to rouse him. He wanted him to take some medicine to bring the fever down. Blaze did so half asleep and then flopped back onto his pillow mumbling something incoherent. Matt brushed his partner's blonde hair away from his face and left a kiss on his flushed cheek. Matt then went down to the living room and drew the covers around him. He studied the stockings that hung beneath the window sill. _Matt, Blaze, Morgan, Lucas…_it may be non-traditional, and it is at times trying to live in a way that causes people judge you and raise their eyebrows, but it doesn't matter. People can think what they want, Matt thought to himself as he drifted to sleep. This is my family.

_Please review, I don't know why but I have been in a real mood for snow and Christmas time…strange. I hope you really enjoyed this. :)_


	12. Chapter 12: Unexpected News

_Yay, update! Thank you all so much for your reviews!! My appreciation goes out to: FearlessHardy, Dark Kaneanite, iNdy MiLk, Painelust, extremeshan81, Hatter-Zombie.ate.your.brains, and caspersmom. Wow, I am actually posting before midnight! :) Hope you all enjoy!_

Chapter 12

Brock knew he couldn't take it any longer. He twisted the ring around his finger and watched as the light reflected off the gold. He had always expected a marriage full of happiness, but he realized he rarely felt happy with her. She wouldn't allow him to. She was condescending, she treated him like a child, she always ran him down no matter what he did or how hard he tried to please her it was never enough. He wanted her love so badly and she gave him just enough to keep him hanging on, until now. Last night was the worst she had ever treated him. He quit fidgeting with his ring and brought his fingertips lightly to his nose. He winced at the pain the slight gesture caused. Last night they had fought and the ending of that fight was Jilly busting the handle of a the broom across his face. He tried to think back to what had first sparked the argument but for the life of him he couldn't remember. It was probably something petty.

He wiped tears from his eyes. He was tired of being not only kept on a leash but being choked by it. He was sick of her wearing him down and leading him around like he was a child. She did not love him, she possessed him. _Not anymore._ Brock screwed the ring from his finger and sat it on the mantelpiece next to the divorce papers. He picked up one last box, the rest of his things were already packed in his car, and he looked around at the house one last time before letting it and his wife kiss his ass goodbye.

Panic, panic filled the red haired woman. She found her husband gone and his ring atop divorce papers on the mantelpiece. _No…_ This had to be a bad dream, she couldn't be alone again. How dare he leave! She thought she had him under control, she thought she had him broken, and a broken man can not hurt you. Her panic turned to fury and she balled her fist around the empty gold band. She turned, her brows scrunched up at the bridge of her nose, her face contorted in a scowl, and an animalistic wail escaped her lips as she hurled the ring across the room. She sunk to the couch and wept into her trembling hands. She couldn't be alone again, she had chose to leave Matt but she had chose to keep Brock, he was not supposed to leave this wasn't how it was supposed to go! She wrapped her fingers in her fiery mane and pulled and screamed into the emptiness of the house. What would she do now? The task of finding another man and asserting her control over him seemed too much of a daunting task. She rolled to her back and stared at the ceiling and let tears puddle in her ears. At last she smeared them away from her green eyes. She knew what she could do. There was someone who could not leave her of his own will, he would stay with her, she didn't know why she couldn't see it before it could just be the two of them and he couldn't shove her away! A child loves their mother no matter what. All she had to do was go back for him. Her panic and anger subsided a bit and left her shaky and drained against the cushions. It wouldn't be hard, if Matt tried to put up a fight she had cards she could play. He really had a slim chance of keeping the child if he decided to pursue a custody battle. The mother most always is awarded custody over the father. Then there was the traveling Matt had to do for his career, that may prove harmful for his side, and then there was something even better. There was Blaze. Jilly smiled and closed her eyes. Things would be okay. She didn't need Brock. Tomorrow she would see about booking a flight to North Carolina.

"A week!" Morgan exclaimed as he marked a red X on his WWE calendar. The picture for December was DX wearing Santa hats. "One week 'till Christmas!"

"I know some stu-uff your Dad got you!" Harley called to Morgan as he hopped up and down on the bed. The poor furniture creaked and groaned as the young boy bounced.

"What? Come on at least give me a hint!" Morgan climbed onto his bed and joined his cousin in abusing the bed with their play. It seemed they didn't realize it was not a trampoline.

"Nope!"

"Come on!" Morgan pleaded but his cousin just shook his head making his colorful hair whip back and forth.

"Hey, show me how to do that one thing that you did that one day…when you climbed up the tree and did that flip thing on to the trampoline…I wanna see it again!"

The two boys stopped their bouncing.

"Swanton." Harley said moving some hair out of his eyes. "I can't do it here…whe-ere would I do it?"

Morgan thought for a few moments before coming up with his answer.

"You could do it off the stairs."

"We-ell where would I land?"

The two boys made their way from Morgan's room and stopped at the top of the stairs. Morgan peered over the banister to the floor below trying to devise a setup that could allow Harley to do the Swanton.

Morgan covered his mouth to hold in his giggles and he pointed down at the couch where Blaze was napping trying to recover from his flu/ear infection combo. Morgan bounded down the stairs so fast he nearly tumbled head over heels. He poked the blond man in the arm and when he didn't stir the boy flashed the 'ok' sign to Harley.

Morgan looked up at his cousin with wide eyes. Harley always impressed him with his wrestling and acrobatics. Harley climbed onto the railing and crouched there. After a few moments he stood slowly. He wobbled a bit but held his arms out to keep his balance enough that he didn't fall.

"You have to-to let the fans know what's goin' on Mo-org!"

Morgan snatched up the t.v. remote and used it as a microphone.

"This is Morgan Hardy, live on…" He stopped and peered up at his cousin. "What brand are you on Big H?"

"EC--" Harley cut short when he tilted forward but caught himself from falling. "ECW!"

"Live on ECW! Our first match is Big H Hardy against Blaze! Blaze is out cold, and Big H is settin' up for his finisher! Can he do it?" Morgan dramatized and held his breath when Harley made his move. "Swanton!" Morgan shouted and Blaze opened his eyes, but too late. The leaping Big H crashed down onto him and completely startled Blaze who rolled off the couch taking Harley with him.

"Oh no, Blaze turned the tables!" Morgan announced hopping onto the coffee table with his t.v. remote-microphone clutched tight in his hand. "One-two-three!" Morgan shouted a bit too quickly for Harley's liking.

"Lemme up!" Harley griped.

"What? What happened?" Blaze rubbed his eyes. Harley crawled from underneath his uncle and scowled at Morgan as the red-haired boy raised his Dad's hand triumphantly. "What happened?" A confused Blaze repeated.

"You won." Morgan smiled.

"I want a re-match!" Harley grabbed the remote from Morgan. "I'm seein' you at the Pay-Per-View…extre-eme rules!"

"I'm going to sleep." Blaze curled back onto the couch and ignored the two boys.

Soon Harley and Morgan were both on top of him beating their small fists on his body and pulling his hair. Blaze growled at them and hid his head under a pillow.

"Matt!" The desperate tone of his muffled plea caused the boys to giggle. Soon Matt appeared in the room and tucked the boys under his arms successfully liberating his partner.

"Not fair!" Harley whined as Matt set him to his feet. "It was ha-andicap, no-ot tag team."

"It was a tag team." Matt replied. "The GM changed it at the last minute, and before you try to argue that, I'm the GM, so don't even try guys."

"Blaze didn't tag you in, you're disqualified!" Morgan shouted proud of himself that he found a way to catch his Dad in a screw up.

"I'm going to quit letting you watch wrestling Morgan." Matt teased and ruffled both boys hair. "Now leave Blaze alone…you want to wrestle…try me!"

Matt took off leaving the two boys who turned to each other, shrugged, and then ran after him.

Jeff pulled up to his brother's house and sat in his car for a few moments smiling at the sight he saw. Matt was rolling around on the ground and Harley and Morgan were 'beating up' on him. Jeff got out of the car and walked across the lawn until he was looking down at his brother, son, and nephew.

"You are so immature." He dead panned to Matt. "Come on Harley, we're going home."

The grin on Harley's face faltered as he stopped mid punch. He hung his head sadly.

"Okay…" He reluctantly rolled off of Matt and stood up brushing his pants off. Soon Morgan too had left the dark-haired Hardy alone and Matt picked himself up from the ground and pulled grass from his curly hair.

"Thanks for saving me bro, those two are quite a team."

A slightly evil smirk spread across Jeff's face and his green eyes glimmered mischievously as he watched his brother brush off his pants.

"Saving you? Please!" Before Matt could react Jeff speared him to the ground. The boys jumped up and down and cheered as the two adults wrestled on the front lawn.

"Well, I found out." Melissa said into the phone. She bit chewed her bottom lip nervously and paced around the kitchen. She twisted a piece of hair around her hand. It was blond with blue tips.

"So?" Kody asked excitedly from the other end of the line. Melissa heard Shawna's voice in the background. The little girl was screaming her favorite word 'no'. "Hold still baby…" Kody cooed to her daughter. If Melissa could have seen her she would have saw Kody spreading peanut butter in her daughter's hair in attempt to loose some old gum. Who knows where Shawna had found it but she had managed to get it wadded up in her dirty blonde locks.

"I am." Melissa said quietly. "Do you think he'll be happy? I mean what if he doesn't want this…"

"Of course he'll be happy, he loves to play with the Hardy kids, he has a natural knack for it. Melly, you have a good man there."

Melissa smiled knowing Kody was right. Shannon was a good man. Melissa hurried to the window when she heard gravel crunching in the driveway. She pulled back the curtain and saw her boyfriend exiting his Hummer. She let the curtains fall back and hissed into the phone.

"He's here Kody, I'll talk to you later…good luck with the gum!"

"Bye hun!"

The two women hung up and Melissa went out to meet Shan. She hung her arms around his neck and peered into his piercing blue eyes. Her nerves were rattling with the anticipation of telling him the news.

"Hey baby, anxious to see me?" He pressed his lips to hers and held her for a few moments in a tender kiss that still made her knees feel weak just as it had when he had first kissed her nearly half a year ago. After the kiss broke she took a few moments to steady herself for what she was about to say.

"I have something to tell you…" She found that she was again chewing on her lip.

"So tell." He wrapped his arms around her waist and drew her close. He had taken a hiatus from dating after he had really acknowledged his feelings for Kody. If he hadn't met Melissa he would probably still be on that hiatus but she was persistent and they had became close. He loved her on some level but he still felt guilty that he loved her less than Kody. He tried to simply ignore that because he could never give his heart to Kody. He knew he had to give it to someone else and lately he had been thinking that Melissa was the one he could give it to…at least he could give her most of it. Kody would always have a piece that he could not give to anyone else. Was that wrong? He locked his blue eyes with her hazel ones.

"Okay," Melissa felt comforted when she looked into his amazing eyes. She knew Kody was right about Shannon and she felt very lucky that they had found each other. Even thought this pregnancy was unplanned, how bad could things turn out? After all, she and Shannon were in love with each other. Melissa felt her smile widen further as she gained confidence and excitement. She went on. "We're expecting."

"Expecting what?" He blinked back at her before her meaning caught on and his eyes widened a bit. "Oh…um…you talkin' about like a-a baby?" The only thing Shannon felt at the moment was shock. How did it happen? Well, I know how…but…

She saw the look on his face and it was not what she had expected. He was supposed to burst out into a huge smile and spin her around and tell her how happy he was, instead he was gaping at her like she had just slapped him. She felt her eyes water and she turned away from him and headed back to the house.

"Hey babe, where you goin'?" Shan hurried after her and followed her into the kitchen where she plopped into a chair and dabbed at her eyes.

"You didn't seem very happy." Her voice quivered on the verge of a sob.

"Don't cry Mel…I am happy. It's just not exactly something we planned for, but there's nothing to worry about. I'm here and I am happy."

Her teary eyes searched his face. At last she nodded.

"Okay."

Shannon held her and let her feel secure. Inside, he was feeling hit with a ton of bricks.

Not far away, there was another person who was feeling just that same way. Matt sat on the edge of his bed staring down at the text message on his phone. It read: I'm coming to get Morgan.

_Please let me know your thoughts. Mucho love to all!_


	13. Chapter 13: Things Just Get Messier

_Thank you all for your reviews. Flowers for you! (Don't ask I don't know why.) I tried not to make the paragraphs as long this times as requested by a reader. Hopefully it's easier to read. :D _

Chapter 13

"Hiiii!" Shawna leaned over the back of the IHOP booth and waved at the old man. He grinned wide at her and waved back. "Dat's my Daddy!" Shawna pointed to the back of her fathers' rainbow hair and grinned. She then swung her foot up over the top of the booth and was on her way to climbing over it, or maybe just toppling over it, and landing on the elderly lady who was there with her husband.

"Jeff, get her!" Kody said as she cut up Harley's ham.

"Mom, I can do it my-myself!" Harley protested.

Jeff turned and pulled his little girl back into the booth. She screwed her mouth up at him in a pout.

"No!"

"Don't climb over there angel." Jeff smiled at her and tugged down her shirt which had rode up to show her tummy and the top of her pink training underwear. Jeff went back to his food and a moment later Kody was shrieking again. Jeff turned again and this time found his daughter ready to pull the gray hair of the woman in the booth behind them. The husband covered his mouth and laughed and pointed. His wife turned to look over her shoulder just as Jeff put the little girl on her butt again.

"NO!" Shawna protested with her fists balled tight.

Jeff sliced off a piece of his pancake and skewered it on his fork and held it up for her.

"No bork! Me eats it!"

Shawna pulled the piece from the prongs and shoved it into her mouth with a grin.

"That's not how you're supposed to do it silly. Don't you want to eat like a big girl?"

Jeff repeated what he had just done and showed the piece of food to his daughter. Once again she pulled it off of the fork and ate it from her fingers. She clapped her syrupy hands together.

"Yay! Me eats pantakes!"

Jeff brushed the little girl's dirty blond locks from her dark glimmering eyes. He was so smitten with her. She was just the perfect little angel. She crawled up the back of the booth once again and began to wink at the wrinkled man who winked back at her. She covered her face and giggled and then took her hands down and winked at him again. The man sent her another one back and she again hid her face in her hands and repeated the whole thing over again.

"Do you want us to have a boy or a girl?" Melissa asked as she watched Jeff dote over his daughter.

"I dunno…either." Shannon gave her a quick answer and then immersed himself in his French toast. Melissa frowned down at her eggs and hash-browns and Kody patted her shoulder.

"It's fun, nerve racking at first but it's fun."

"Did I tell you about Kody getting stuck in the potty?" Jeff grinned over at Shannon who shook his head.

"That was classic." Kody said as she sipped her orange juice.

Jeff stopped his recounting of the 'Tale of the Toilet Monster' when his phone buzzed on the table. Shawna looked down at it and banged her fists onto it. She then picked it up and shrieked as it vibrated and whirred in her small hands.

"Buzz buzz buzz!" The little girl shrilled. Some people at surrounding tables looked up from their meals to grin at her or to show their annoyance at the adults for not keeping the child in line.

"Here baby, don't do that." Jeff pried his phone away from her sticky fingers. He conversed for a few moments with the person on the other line and then hung up.

"Vince." He said.

"Hey, sorry I'm late." Blaze said as he scooted a chair up to the table. "Jilly's here bothering Matt. I was going to stay for back up but Matt wanted me out of the house so he could talk to her alone so…here I am."

Blaze wondered what the two were doing but didn't ask Matt. If Matt hadn't bothered to tell him then it was probably a sign he wanted to keep it between him and Jilly.

"You sound much better. Did eat the home-made chicken soup I sent over?" Kody licked her finger and then used it to wipe egg yolk from her sons' face.

"Mom!" Harley shouted and attempted to squirm away from her.

"Hold still H!"

"Yeah, it was excellent." Blaze laughed as Harley battled his mother who was determined to clean his face up.

"There." Kody finished the spit bath.

"So what is she doing?" Jeff's eyebrows bunched together angrily just thinking of the woman. He hoped Matt was telling her off as they spoke. He really didn't know what she was doing poking her nose around here anyway. Maybe she had changed her mind again and decided to move back and be close to Morgan. Jeff nearly shuddered, wouldn't that be a treat having her living right here in good ol' Cameron.

"Bitching." Blaze bit off bitterly. His scorn for the woman was just as apparent as Jeff's. "It's what she does."

"Itching?" Shawna asked. She started to crawl across the table to visit Blaze but Jeff pulled her back. In the process she grabbed his plate and dumped it all over the both of them. Jeff just laughed as his daughter exclaimed "Oopsy!"

"Isn't that cute? Shawna is just way too adorable, I can't wait. We should start thinking of names and we can turn the guest room into a nursery it'll be really fun! We can go pick out stuff for the baby!" Melissa hugged Kody excitedly.

"If it's a boy we're naming it a good solid guy name, not somethin' girly." Shannon put in.

"We could name him after you." Melissa suggested with a smirk.

"Shannon is a guy name, it's Irish." Blaze said.

"Well then we ain't naming it an Irish name." Shannon laughed.

Soon the two women were suggesting names. Meanwhile as the adults were off on their own topics, Harley stuck a packet of ketchup between his fingers so it was hidden then held his hand over his eye. He dug the fork in between his fingers as though he were gouging his eye out. Ketchup squirted out like blood and Shawna squealed and burst into tears.

"Sh-aw-awna, it's ketchup, it's fake silly!" Harley tried to comfort her but she was wailing at the top of her lungs. Jeff took the little girl out side and dried her tears and whispered comforting things to her until she forgot about Harley's mutilated eyeball.

"Matt…I was wrong to leave him here. I'm his mother and he's coming with me."

The two were outside in the nippy air. Morgan was up in his room. Matt didn't know what to say to this woman, what could he say? All he really wanted to do was knock the living shit out of her but he wouldn't do that. Just to be on the safe side, he stuffed his hands into his pockets, because they threatened to act out of their own will and smack the lips off of her sneering face.

"Jilly you can't just up and take him, he's settled here and…and… he likes it here. You can't just keep uprooting him and doing whatever just because it suits you!"

His chocolate eyes burned into her.

"Matthew, I am thinking of him. He doesn't need to be raised by you two."

Her voice had a condescending tone to it. It said 'I am better than you'. Matt snarled.

"By 'us two'…that's your excuse is it? It wouldn't matter if I was with a woman you still wouldn't want him here. You're all alone now and it scares you and you just want someone you can have control over! You're not going to screw up his life!"

Jilly turned her eyes downward and chewed her lip for a few moments. When she looked up again her glittering eyes were filled with tears and the salty drops rolled down her cheeks. Matt saw them for what they really were, lies, falsities, attempted deceit. His anger began to subside a bit and he realized he felt pity for her that she was such a miserable person she had to stoop to such levels.

"I'm sorry for what I did to you Matt. It was horrible…I shouldn't have broke up our family like that when I knew I had a baby on the way, I should never have hurt you that way." She came close to Matt and traced circles on his chest. He simply removed her hand and stared hard at her.

"You probably are sorry, I can believe you're telling the truth on that. You're sorry because you had a good thing with me. You had me under your thumb and I was just such an idiot I was going to marry you. I'm not upset by it though. In fact I should thank you for hurting me. It's one of the best things that ever happened to me. But it's too late to make amends for taking my son from me and hiding him away until he was five, until you decided you didn't want him, that's what happened and that's the real truth and it's not going to happen again."

"You are going to make this hard, not on me, but on Morgan and on you and even on Blaze because I will not back down." As if to prove her point Jilly stepped up to Matt and got right in his face before going on.

"I'll get him in the end because I'm the mother and because you're gay. I don't have to tell you about the stigma's that are still attached even in today's society, I don't have to tell you about how that affects your chances, especially if the judge is religious or a conservative. You won't have a prayer! You travel all the time, so does Blaze, how is that stable? And what is it for, to wrestle, to promote violence? To split some guys head open or to smash his face into a matt? Now that's healthy. Then what about when you're both gone at the same time where does Morgan go? He stays with Jeff and Kody. Is that really a good idea? Look at Jeff's past, he's risky, he's been in trouble for drugs, he breaks rules, he looks like a fucking clown. Look at Harley, he's always hurt from performing stunts he learned from his father. I can find all kinds of arguments as to why Morgan is better off with me and all sorts of people would agree with me."

Matt's emotions were overcoming him. His face contorted into a scowl of anger and frustration and fear and he backed her up until he had her pinned between himself and the porch railing. Tears spilled from his rage-filled eyes and his hand came back behind him ready to fly forward and connect with her cheek. At the last moment he managed to stop it from happening. He clenched his teeth together and growled at her.

"Go ahead Matt…hit me. Do it, or are you a pussy? Do it Matt, you know you want to from all those times when I degraded you, when I ordered you around, when I lied to you, when I controlled you like you were a little puppet and held the strings, do it Matthew! Do it!" She screamed into his face but Matt didn't. His hand fell away slowly and he shoved it back into his pocket. He back away from her slowly.

"No, you want me to. I know what you're doing and you're not going to manipulate me." He nearly spat at her. "Get off of my property." He added with a hiss. Jilly smirked at him.

"This is only the beginning. You just think about what I said."

She retreated leaving Matt hoisting clay pots of long-dead flowers over his head and shattering them onto the porch steps. Matt barreled into the house and sat his frame on the couch. He wiped tears from his face with his now dirty hands and smeared soil over his cheeks. Morgan crept down the stairs and huddled up next to his Dad. He wrapped his arms around his Dad's neck in a hug.

"It doesn't matter…I'll just tell them I want to stay with you." He said quietly.

Matt pulled away and looked into his son's innocent eyes. He only wished it were that easy. How did tell his son that it didn't really matter if he wanted to live his father?

Morgan saw the worry in his Dad's eyes and his own started to fill up with tears. His fears bombarded him and all he could think of was his mom taking him away to never see Matt ever again. He buried his face into his Dad's shoulder and sobbed helplessly.

"Dad puh-promise I don't have to go with her!" He begged hoarsely between his sobs. Matt held him tighter and fresh tears spilled down his face and made trails through the smudged dirt. "Promise, Dad please!"

"Moragn I-I-"

"I don't wanna go, I wanna stay here!" The sobs were turning in to silent shudders. Matt's shirt was soaking through with his son's tears. "Promise, Dad promise I can stay!"

"I want to Morg, but I can't. It isn't up to me." Matt whispered and held his weeping son. _I'm not giving him up. _Matt thought to himself and he closed his eyes and squeezed the boy tighter. _Please God, if you're there, don't let me lose my boy…please…promise me God. Promise?_

_Please drop me a line. I'll send you more flowers…and not black roses like Taker does….unless you want a black rose. Maybe I'll send a black rose to Jilly. Yay! I tried to break the paragraphs up, however there was that long one with Jilly ranting on bullshit. But you can blame that on her because she has a big mouth. :O_


	14. Chapter 14: There's A Long Road Ahead

_Sorry I took much longer than usual to update. Thank you for all the reviews it makes my day to see how you react to the fic. Thanks to: Dark Kaneanite, extremeshan81, caspersmom, iNdy MiLk, Hatter-Zombie.ate. your.brains, and 68 stones from a broken heart. Love to all the readers out there!_

Chapter 14

Matt's stomach tightened into knots. He could never remember a time in his life when he had been so angry. Jilly had called waking him early that morning. It was the morning after she had come over the night before and they had fought and he had ordered her off his property. She was coming this morning to get Morgan and there was nothing Matt could do about it, yet. Matt sighed and ran a hand through his dark curls and walked grudgingly up the stairs. He glanced back over his shoulder at the stockings that hung on the mantel and he ran his hand over the silver garland that Morgan had draped over the stair railings. _Could the woman be any colder? It was fucking Christmas after all…_Matt pushed open the door to Morgan's room and found it empty but for a suitcase sitting at the foot of the bed. He could hear crying and sniffling from within the room and the door to the closet was slightly ajar. Matt started to go to the closet but stopped. His heart sank with sadness when he saw the Christmas list Morgan had taped to the door. At the top it read in sloppy red and green letters: Morgan's Cristmis List. Matt smiled at the misspelling of the holiday. However, it was a smile that was tinged mostly with sadness because this morning when he woke up, Morgan had drawn a big X through the list of gifts he wanted. At the bottom of the list were two words written in big capital letters. Those letters now told anyone who caught a glimpse of the list the one single thing Morgan wanted for Christmas: My Dad. Matt sniffed as tears welled in his eyes. He pulled his gaze away from the list and walked over to the closet and opened the door. He knelt down and crawled into the back of the closet where Morgan was sitting shadowed in the dark. His tears glistened on his face and he rubbed at them hastily as his Dad peered at him. Matt pulled his knees to his chest mirroring his son.

"Hey Morg." Matt whispered trying to keep his voice from wavering. He had to be the strong father for his son. He just didn't know what to say or how to say it. "I love you."

"I don't wanna go with her!" Morgan half sobbed half screamed.

"I know. I don't want you to go but you have to."

"Why?"

"It's…hard to explain. She's your Mom so she has a right to see you. I can't stop her from taking you for now. A little bit later your mother and I will have to go to this person, a judge, and the judge will tell us when we get to see each other."

"I heard you and Blaze talking last night when I was s'pose to be asleep…that judge person isn't going to like you because of you and Blaze."

"Don't worry about that Morgan." Matt pulled the little boy close to him in a hug and kissed the top of his fiery hair. "Just be good for your Mom and the grown ups will get things straightened out, okay?"

Morgan nodded and wrapped his arms around his father's neck. He crawled out of the closet and waited for Matt to follow.

Matt carried his son's suitcase down stairs and he sat next to Blaze. Morgan perched himself on the coffee table and they all sat just staring at the door waiting for the dreaded moment that the woman—beast—who was Morgan's mother would come through the door.

"I can't believe the bitch!" Kody cried to Jeff who nodded his head in total agreement. "The nerve!" Kody's lips drew together in a tight line and her eyes narrowed in anger at that woman. Kody had not been a big fan of Morgan when he had first arrived in all of his mischievous glory, but he had begun to grow on her. Not only that, but she loved Matt and Blaze and she could only imagine what this would be doing to Matt. Her mother instincts were in over drive as she imagined how she would feel if her children were just being pulled out from under her nose. As if to verify to herself or prove to someone else that her babies were still with her, she laid a hand on Harley's shoulder and kissed the top of Shawna's blond hair. The baby sat in Jeff's lap banging her blocks together happily. Harley sat next to Kody engrossed in a hand held video game. He didn't even flinch or look up when his mom rested a hand on his shoulder.

"Daddy, blocks!" The little girl laughed and banged her red block onto Jeff's chest repeatedly.

"This is going to be bad…Matt's really going to get thrown under the bus." Jeff said, his own features tightening with anger. "It's not fair, my brother's a good dad, being gay has nothing to do with it!"

"Daaaddy!" Shawna pinched her father's chest.

"Ow! Shawna don't pinch people there." Jeff rubbed his chest and play pouted at her. Pinching and winking were Shawna's newest habits. She demonstrated both of them by winking her brown eyes at her Daddy and then pinching his leg. "Shawna, no baby."

"Yes." Shawna stated simply and pinched some more.

"I feel so horrible…" Kody sank back onto the couch and her brows drew together at the bridge of her nose in sadness for two guys she truly loved as dear friends and even brothers. "I think I'm going to make some food and take it over there later. I think I'll make a pie too."

"Pie fixes everything darling." Jeff smiled up at her as she rose from the couch. He pinched her backside and she turned and glared at him playfully. Jeff threw up his hands as though pleading his innocence.

"It was her!" Jeff pointed to his daughter who widened her eyes in surprise.

"That's right Jeff, blame it on the baby."

"Daddy pinch!" Shawna yelled and she reached for her Dad's nose and pinched it shut. She shrieked with laughter when he talked to her in an exaggerated nasally voice. She released her hold on his nose and his voice again went to normal. She quickly pinched it again and Jeff returned to his silly voice and she giggled at him.

"Great." Kody laughed as she pulled a mixing bowl down from the cabinet. "Another fun habit for Shawna to pick up."

She mixed the pie dough and then rolled it flat and pushed it into a pie pan. She felt bad that all she could do was make food for them. What the hell was that supposed to do? I'm sorry your son was just taken away by your witch of a girlfriend, here have pie! She sat the crust aside and pulled apples from the crisper and washed them and then began to peel the colorful skins away.

"Can I help Mom?" Harley pulled up a chair and stood on it so he was leaning over the counter.

"I'm peeling honey, you can't use a knife." Kody cast a sideways glance to the sink. "There are a few dishes in there you can do to help Mommy."

Harley got down from the chair and scooted it over to the sink. It screeched against the tile floor and everyone in the house grimaced. Soon Jeff and Shawna had wandered over, tired of the 'pinch Daddy's nose' game. Jeff took dishes from the drainer and dried them and put them up. Shawna tugged on Kody's pants.

"Apple."

Kody sliced a couple of pieces and handed them to Shawna who fed them to Eddie. The little dog gobbled up the sliced fruit and then sat wagging his tail at Kody, waiting for more.

"Apple!" Shawna tugged again. Kody gave her a couple more pieces.

"Mom…she's feeding Eddie." Harley said looking down and watching as Shawna poked one of the slices at the dog. Eddie took it from her fingers, nearly taking a finger or two in the process. Shawna shrieked and smacked the mutts' nose.

"No!" The little girl yelled and the poor dog sulked off with a whimper.

"Big H, why don't you take Shawna and put in a movie for you guys to watch. You remember how?"

Harley nodded and followed his Mom's instructions. Kody sighed heavily as she continued cutting the apples into slices.

"Kody, we can't do anything more. All we can do is be supportive…well…we could make a voodoo doll and cast hexes on her." Jeff contemplated and an evil smirk crossed his face as he imagined poking the red haired Jilly look-a-like doll with long pins and doing other nasty things to it. "That could be fun."

"I'm making him a pie Jeff…how is a pie even helpful?"

"It's showing you care. Besides, it's pie. It's automatically helpful." Jeff got out another knife to help Kody slice the apples but he immediately nicked his finger and frowned down at it as a dot of blood welled up. Kody couldn't help but grin over at him. He was too helpless. Her thoughts were however pulled back to the more daunting issue which was confronting the family.

"Can you imagine what's going to happen once this gets out? The press, the public, opinions, letters, blogs, just all the stuff that's going to accompany this…they won't let this be a private affair. This kind of thing is still a big deal and especially in the South where ideals are generally more conservative. On top of the issue its self which is enough on its own, is Matt's status of being in the public eye." Kody shook her head. "I mean he's not like a big Hollywood face but still…"

"Let's just get through the holidays first. Matt is a strong person, he's a lot stronger than I am that's for sure. We just have to help Matt through one thing at a time and just be there for him and be supportive."

Kody finished her apples and Jeff's and dumped them into the pie crust with a few added seasonings and some butter. She put the top on the pie and began to press the edges together but then stopped.

"Hey Shawna, come help Mommy for a minute." Kody called into the other room. Shawna ran into the kitchen with her bare feet pounding against the tile. She cocked her head up at her Mom and clapped her hands.

"Help!"

Kody picked up the little girl and sat her on the counter top next to the pie.

"See the edges Shawna? Mommy wants you to pinch them together like this." Kody demonstrated pushing the edge of the pie dough.

"Pinch!" Shawna giggled and copied her mother's actions. "Pinch…pinch…pinch!"

Kody watched her daughter enjoy such a minimal task. Children took such joy and pleasure in the simplest things. Kody leaned into Jeff feeling tears suddenly spring into her eyes. She could never imagine losing a child. She only hoped Matt did not have to experience such a thing, and that Jilly would lose.

A knock on the door. Matt did not want to answer it. He wanted to shut off the lights and close the curtains and pretend that no one was home. He knew that was not going to happen however. His feet seemed cemented to the floor and unable to move forth as the impatient knock clamored again. Blaze reached over and laid a hand on Matt's knee and gave it a reassuring squeeze. The blond man got up and ambled slowly to the door, not wanting to let the woman in. Blaze opened the door to find not only Jilly but two police officers, one flanking each side. His fair brows furrowed in annoyance.

"You didn't need to that you know." He snapped. "Matt's not the one who causes the problems." His blue orbs burned into the woman standing before him. She crossed her arms and smiled with fake pleasantry.

"I just wanted to make sure."

Blaze grumbled as he moved aside to let her and her body guards in. Morgan's eyes widened when he saw the police. Matt rose from the couch and cast his eyes downward. He didn't want to lose it in front of Morgan but it was a tough struggle. He swallowed the lump of emotion that was rising in his throat and battled with the tears. When he felt he could look up without crying in front of everyone he did. He took his son's hand in one of his and picked up Morgan's suitcase with the other. Morgan tried to wiggle free.

"Come on Morgan." Jilly said. Her ruse smile faltered into false tears as she acted like this was some huge touching moment for her. Matt chewed his lip as his emotions were now swirling somewhere between sadness and anger.

Morgan looked up at his mom and was enraged at her. The rage boiled for a quick moment but it was overtaken by the sorrow he felt at having to leave his father. He didn't know when he would see him again, if ever, and the truth was he now realized that he loved his Dad more than he ever loved his Mom, and his Dad returned that love in a way Jilly never could or wanted to. He wiped at his pink nose which was sore from too much rubbing. His green eyes began to swim in tears again and he rubbed at them too, and like his nose they were raw and puffy and painful. He felt his Dad's hands on his shoulders and his Dad turned him around.

Matt knelt and turned the red haired boy towards him. Morgan looked up into his Dad's warm brown eyes and the little boy's lip quivered uncontrollably with his pain at the parting.

"I love you Morgan, and we will see each other again so…please don't cry." Matt swallowed again and willed his voice to stay still. "Be good for your Mom. I'll see you in a few days at Christmas, okay?"

Morgan nodded and threw himself against his father's chest in a hug.

"Come on Morgan." Jilly tugged at the back of the boy's shirt. Matt gave him one last squeeze and the two broke away reluctantly. Jilly stooped to grab Morgan's suitcase and then she took his hand in hers and led him out of the house and perhaps out of Matt's life for good. Just as easily as she had inserted the boy into his life, she had now taken him away. Blaze and Matt followed her out onto the porch to watch as she buckled Morgan into his seat belt. The officers gave some parting comments and climbed back into their car and pulled out of the drive.

Morgan pressed his small hands and his face against the window. The cold glass felt good against his face which was hot with running tears. He closed his eyes for a moment and sobbed against the window. He had heard the word 'heartbroken' before but he didn't really understand what it meant until now. He really felt like he was crushed inside. He opened his eyes and watched the blurry form of his father disappear as Jilly took him away from his home.

Matt felt the tears slip down his face as his son pressed his own face against the glass. The sight of his features so scrunched with grief was too much. Matt felt his knees wobble and threaten to give way. He stayed on his feet waving at his son until the van disappeared down the road. After that he collapsed onto the porch steps. Blaze sat down next to his lover and stroked his dark hair. It pained Blaze to see his family in such a state, it hurt him to see the devastation this woman was causing to his family and his lover. He wanted nothing more than to set her in her place, but with things edging towards a custody battle all parties had to be on best behavior. Both men knew this was far from an end of the situation. A long battle loomed ahead.

_Please review! I feel like I'm being really depressing…but the whole situation is…luckily Shawna is a cutie. She's the little ray of sunshine! I could just see Jeff slicing his finger tool. Little Shawna doesn't know how lucky she is to get to pinch Jeffro, I wouldn't mind pinching him. Lol, well please let me know what you think of this chap and I will try to update more. For some reason Shan muse has been acting up and wanting me to write about him, but this fic is not about him. I'm seeing a Shan fic in the near future, probably after this one ends…well that's unless you guys are getting sick of these people, then I might take a break and just focus on my other fics I have going on right now. I don't know yet, maybe let me know your thoughts on this stuff. (but probably Shan muse will whine until he gets his way and I'll write it anyway, lol.)_


	15. Chapter 15: Trying To Deal With The Pain

_Oh my, I'm so excited that I finally got to update this! I am so so so sorry for the looong delay on this fic. Thank you to those who reviewed the last chapter: extremeshan81, caspersmom, Dark Kaneanite, Hatter-zombie ate your brain, Drummers512, and FearlessHardy._

Chapter 15

"I hate you." Morgan said to his mother as they drove. He pressed his face to the window and watched the scenery roll by. He sniffled his nose which ached from constant rubbing. His eyes burned from too many tears. Already the five year old missed his Dads, his room, his bed, he even missed the annoying little dog Lucas. "I don't wanna be with you." Morgan spat out and crossed his arms over his chest.

His mother ignored him and just turned the radio a bit louder. He already started to feel the way she had always made him feel: like a ghost. If he was at home his Dad and Blaze would be playing action figures or wrestling with him, watching a movie, or reading him a story and doing all the funny voices. Morgan wondered if his Mom was going to let him see his family for Christmas. His tears came heavier as he doubted that very much.

"Mommy please I want to go home." He whimpered over the country music that blared out from the radio.

Jilly didn't answer her son. She just stared ahead at the road. His whinning and begging grated on her nerves.

"Mom!" Morgan pushed the button on his seatbelt and wriggled free from the strap. He pounded his small fists onto the dash. One way or another his mother was going to pay attention to him.

Jilly's eyes narrowed angrily. Her lips disappeared into a thin line and her knuckles paled white as she gripped the steering wheel tighter. She was going to have to do something about this kids outrageous temper tantrums. She didn't take him back just to battle with him. He was a five year old and he would have to learn that she was the mother and she was in control.

"I don't wanna! I don't wanna I hate you!" Morgan shrieked and screamed as loud as he could. He banged his fists harder and harder against the dash threatening to pop out the airbag.

Jilly slammed the breaks bringing the van to a sudden halt. Her son was thrown against the dash and the air bag puffed out. Jilly was furious. She slid down from the drivers seat cursing and rounded the van. She pulled the other door open and dragged her son from beneath the airbag. A trickle of blood dripped from his nose and his head throbbed from the sudden impact.

"You fucking bastard!" Jilly fisted her hand in his shaggy red hair. "Look what you did, look at it!"

Morgan tried to tear free from his mothers grip but she slapped him hard across the face. His mind was taken back to the first time she had ever hit him which was shortly before he met his father. That time they were in a hotel room and he had intentionally acted up begging for her attention whether positive or negative. Not much had changed except now he didn't relate her roughness with love. He looked up into her snarling face and he hated her. He had felt angry when she had dumped him off with his Dad but he never remembered feeling as mad as he did now. He had finally been happy, loved, and she smashed it all to pieces. Morgan swung his fists and kicked his feet. His blows connected with his mother's shins and belly. In a rage she grabbed his shoulders and slammed him into the side of the van. Her green eyes roared with her wrath. Her opened palm made contact with Morgan's face again and again and again.

"Don't you ever fucking hit me again you little ass hole!" Her ragged scream tore through the silent, observing, countryside as she hit her son over and over. The action filled her with trembling power. She was in control of something again. It was just a trembling little child which she was dominant over...but at least it was something. Her opened palm turned into a fist and when that connected with her sons ear he screamed. "You little faggot! Just like your discusting father!"

Morgan's eyes squeezed shut against the pain of his mothers fists pummeling him. He wasn't afraid when she smacked him or cursed at him but now he was terrified. The look on her face was beyond anger. He wasn't sure what it was but it was not a look he had seen before and he never wanted to see it again. He wondered breifly if this was what 'insane' was.

"Dad!" Morgan sobbed trying to block the blows with his raised arms. "Daddy!" His body shuddered with weeping and still his mother didn't stop attacking him. Her yelling was so crazy now he could barely make out what she was saying.

"Don't cry for him! He can't hear you Morgan! Daddy, waaa-waaa I want Daddy!" She mocked him and shoved his arms out of the way to try to land more blows at him. When he struggled to block her fists again she grabbed his arm. He tried to bolt away from her wanting only to run and never look back. She pulled his arm and jerked and there was a loud pop and searing pain tore through his shoulder and spread down his arm.

"I wanna go home." Morgan whimpered as her hand fell away from his arm. He collapsed on the cold ground, curled into a ball, and cried so hard he could barely breathe. Snot and blood clogged his nose making him choke on that and his sobs.

Jilly leaned against the van. She touched the dent with a shivering hand. Her heart pounded at her chest. She knew she was a control freak, she knew she liked to hurt others, but this was levels above anything she had ever done. It was exhilarating…and it terrified her. She was going to have to keep her impulses in check if she wanted to keep her son. Of course she could use the her fists as a tools to threaten him with as well, but if someone saw bruises then she would be questioned. Jilly knelt down and felt the dewy grass wetting the knees of her jeans.

"Come here baby…Mommy's sorry. She just lost her temper."

She waited a few moments but Morgan just remained curled up like one of those little pill bugs trying to hide its self from danger.

"Morgan." Jilly crawled over to her son and unrolled him. He tried to scoot away from her but she grabbed ahold of his ankle. "Don't do that." She hissed. "Just come here. Let me see your shoulder."

Morgan wanted to fight with her. He wanted to squirm away from her and run to anywhere but he was in too much pain and in such a state of panic that he couldn't. He let his mother pull his shirt up over his head. She balled it up and wiped blood from his nose and ear. Jilly took her son back to the van and set him in the back seat. She looked over the damage to her son and grimaced at what she surveyed. His face was already showing dark bruises, his ear was still dripping blood darkening the red of his hair, and his shoulder was obviously dislocated. It was popped up and swollen purple. It looked like it was stuck in a strange and painful shrug.

"Hold on and I'll put it back in place okay?"

Jilly leaned on the shoulder pressing it downwards and Morgan yowled against the pain. He squeezed his eyes closed tight and bit down on his tongue so hard he tasted blood. When the joint popped loudly back into place, Morgan passed out against the seat. Jilly picked up her sons shirt and wiped at his ear again. She strapped him into the seat and climbed back into hers. With a sigh she brushed her sweaty, fiery, hair out of her face and drove onwards.

"Mom, can Morgan come over and play today?" Harley asked as he played with Eddie the puppy. Harley held one end of a shabby, slobbery, rope toy and the dog tugged on the other end growling playfully and baring his teeth.

"Honey…Morgan had to leave."

Harley's face drooped sadly. Despite the fighting that had began the boy's relationship he and his cousin had since became close friends.

"Is he g-gonna come back?"

"I don't know sweetie. I hope so." Kody smile a bittersweet curve of the lips. Not so long ago she wouldn't have imagined herself saying something like that. Morgan had been quite the pain at first. She almost laughed aloud when she remembered him baring his little white butt at her in protest of his time-out. "I think he will."

"Why did he have to g-go away?" Harley let go of the toy rope and the little dog ran off with his prize triumphantly.

"Well Big H, his Mommy came back and wanted him to go with her."

"But his Mommy's mean." Harley sighed. "I bet Uncle Ma-att is sad isn't he."

Kody felt a lump rise in her throat just thinking of her beloved brother in law and how he must be feeling. She was so angry at that bitch of a woman. Kody could only imagine how she would feel if her son was taken from her.

"Mo-om your face is getting all red and you got it all bunched up like when you get m-mad at me…you're not mad at me are ya?"

Kody blinked at her son and realized her hands were balled up into tight fists. She loosened them up and sighed.

"Now sweetie. I'm mad at Morgan's Mom. She's not a very nice person." Kody turned and went to the oven after the timer buzzed alerting her that her pie was finished. She opened the door and aromas of apple and cinnamon wafted out into the room.

"Mommy buzz! Buzzy buzz!" Shawna exclaimed clapping her hands together.

"H can you go get Daddy and tell him the pie's done?"

Harley ran from the room and came back a few minutes later with Jeff trailing behind him. Like Kody had just a few minutes prior Jeff too sported a look of ire on his face. It was a look Kody was not used to seeing. Her husband was normally a docile creature who was slow to anger.

"I wish she'd be over there when we get there." Jeff nearly spat as he pulled on his shoes. He pushed his purple hair away from his face. "Stupid fucker I'd lay her out on her ass."

"Daddy what means fugger?" Shawna asked tilting her blonde head to the side curiously.

"Never mind baby. It's not a nice word to say."

"Jeff, you wouldn't hit her. You don't want to teach Harley to hit women." Kody sat Shawna on the arm of the couch and tried to put shoes on her feet. The little girl shrieked in protest and pulled handfuls of her moms black and pink hair.

"She's not a woman. She's a monster." Jeff growled.

"Mon'ser…Ursala?" Shawna pointed at her shoes that had The Little Mermaid on the side of them. "'Ittle Mermaid. Me watch 'Ittle Mermaid Mommy!"

"Not now Shawna Cheyenne." Kody planted the little girl in her father's lap and picked up the warm pie. She looked down at it still wishing she had something more to offer to Matt.

The family soon found themselves at Matt and Blaze's place. Kody disappeared into the kitchen with Blaze where they talked in hushed tones. Jeff left the kids to play with Lucas in the back yard and he sat with his brother getting angrier and angrier by the minute as Matt recounted the mornings events in a saddened tone.

Jeff wrapped his older brother in a hug. "Maybe Itchweed will kill her okay?"

"Thanks for the attempt at humor but…nothing really seems very funny right now." Matt said as his voice started to tremble. "He pushed his face up against the window and he looked so…broken. He's five years old he shouldn't have to deal with shit like this." Matt's sadness turned briefly to anger at the woman who insisted on wrecking things again and again.

"You'll get him back Matthew." Jeff squeezed his brother's shoulders.

"Maybe on weekends and holidays."

"You always said you see the glass half full…don't go pessimistic on me now. That's my job."

"Jeff, get real. The whole fucking system is against me now. I'm the father not the mother, I've only known my son for about six months, my work schedule is hectic and I'm gone a lot, and oh yeah…I'm sure it will help that I have a union with Blaze." Matt snarled sarcastically. "What more could be in her favor Jeff?"

Jeff sank back against the couch. He knew Matt was right and he hated it. He knew his brother was an amazing man, he knew his brother deserved to have his son, but he wasn't going to be the judge. The judge would see things very differently. The judge was there to make a fair decision and bring about justice to families and children but he or she would most likely be biased with their own opinions which would in all reality most likely be against Matt...unless they could score a more liberal judge.

"I didn't even get to give him his Christmas gifts." Matt said and he suddenly burst into tears. Jeff drew his older brother closer and said nothing as he cried. What could he say? Any words Jeff could offer, just like Kody's pie, would fall so short.

Morgan woke up with a throbbing headache. His shoulder screamed at him with stiffness and pain.

"Here." Something cold pushed at his lips. "Take this it will help."

Morgan opened his eyes and saw his mother pressing a glass to his mouth. She slipped a white tablet between his swollen lips and he swallowed it down with the water. She simply got up from the bed and wandered out of the room offering no words of apology or remorse for her actions. Morgan lay back against the pillow that smelled like her perfume. It made his stomach feel sick and dizzy. _I just want to go home…someone please take me home._ Morgan looked down at his toes which poked out form under the bunched covers. He thought of a movie he had watched with Harley and Shawna. It was about a girl who got lost in a strange land and had to find a Wizard to get her back home. In the end she found out all she really had to do was click her sparkly shoes together and they took her home.

_There's no place like home,_

_There's no place like home,_

_There's no place like home…_

Morgan tapped his heels together softly wishing that magic was real.

_I'm so excited I finally got to update this fic! I had block for ages it seemed like! I had forgotten how much I really loved this fic. I'm so glad to be back at it. I can't say when my next update will be but hopefully there will not be such a huge lag between updates as there was between this one and the last! Thank you to the readers who have stuck with this fic and once again I apologize. Please don't forget about dropping me a few words to let me know what you think. :) Much love to all! _


	16. Chapter 16: One Missed Call

Thank you for reviews from all you awesome readers out there: MFS1, Drummer512, . ,caspersmom, FearlessHardy, Dark Kaneanite, 68 Stones from a broken heart, iNdy MiLk, and extremeshan81. I'm so excited to read what you all think and I'm appreciative that you take the time to review. :) Means a lot!

Chapter 16

"Don't you want to help me put up the Christmas tree?" Jilly pulled fake tree branches out of a worn box and held them up. Morgan looked at her from big sad eyes and he pulled his knees closer to his chest.

"No."

Morgan watched as his mom pushed the branches into their places. The tree slowly filled out until the last piece, the pointed green top, was put into place. Jilly snarled at the tree which leaned lopsided. Morgan tilted his head to make it seem straight.

"Come on, you know you want to help." _I sure as hell am not doing this for myself._ Jilly thought as she rummaged through a box. She was trying to do something with the kid instead of just leaving him to himself to mope all day. Didn't that count for something? She pulled a handful of glittering tinsel from a bag and draped it over her son's head. Morgan pulled it off and watched as the light glimmered from the long strings in his hand. His thoughts were taken back to a few days ago.

"_It's Morgan tree!" Blaze laughed and danced around the giggling boy as he wrapped a long string of red garland around Morgan's body until he was tied up in it._

_His dad was finally successful in untangling the colorful lights and he strung them around his son. Blaze grabbed a couple of glass ornaments and hung the hooks over the tops of Morgan's ears. Matt plugged the lights in and they flickered like manic, rainbow, fireflies. _

"_Dad I'm not tall enough to be the Christmas tree!"_

_Matt studied the laughing Morgan and nodded in agreement._

"_You're right. What was I thinking?" He unwound his son._

"_You're tall enough." Morgan grinned devilishly and wrapped the lights and garland all around his dad who fell on the floor laughing._

"I want to go home." Morgan whimpered. Tears welled in his eyes and he was overwhelmed with longing for his Dad. It had only been three days since his mom had took him away and normally three days without Dad was not a big deal. He was used to his dad being gone for wrestling but this was different. He didn't completely understand what was going on but he was afraid that he would never see his Dad or any of his family ever again. The thought made him feel sick.

"Morgan, are you okay?" Jilly brushed some of his bright hair back from his face. "You look pale. Morgan, are you listening to me?"

"Not feeling good."

"Oh, you miss Daddy." She didn't say it sarcastically or maliciously just as a stated fact she already knew. He was driving her crazy with his whining and whimpering.

"Yeah…" Morgan sniffed as tears fell from his eyes and started to make his nose drip.

"You did fine without him before didn't you?" Jilly battled with the lights which were knotted hopelessly. "Damn it!" One of the bulbs cracked between her fingers poking small shards of red glass into her flesh. She grumbled to herself as she went to the bathroom to get some tweezers and pull the glass out. Morgan unrolled himself from his place on the couch and stared up at the tree. It was hopelessly tilted to one side and it was driving him crazy. He adjusted some of the branches and leaned on the tree in hopes of correcting it, instead it wobbled and Morgan shrieked when it fell over onto his mother's fish aquarium. The glass container crashed onto the floor sending water and colored pebbles all over the floor. The fish flopped and fluttered around helplessly cutting themselves on the shards of glass. Color drained from Morgan's face and panic started to rise. He was going to be in huge trouble.

He dashed into the kitchen and climbed on the cabinets opening one he pulled out a large bowl. He filled it with water and got it back into the living room where the fish were still bouncing around among bloody stones and plastic ferns. He scooped the fish up and dumped them into the bowl of water hoping to save their lives. Glass cut into his hands and fingers like tiny needle teeth. He tried to get the yellow and blacked striped fish which was his mother's favorite but it kept flopping away. He finally grabbed it but drew his hand back quickly when a sliver of glass wedged itself under his fingernail.

He got the last fish and dropped it into the bowl. Peering into it he already saw two of the animals floating dead at the top. The water was stained with blood, partly from the fish and partly from his own hands. He looked down at his shredded hands and tried to pick some glass out. Morgan froze when he heard footsteps and then the shadow of his mother loomed over him. He yelped when she grabbed him and dragged him up by the back of his neck. She tossed him onto the couch and glared over him, she seemed so tall and huge and angry. Morgan wished he could dive under the cushions and disappear.

"What in the fuck is this Morgan? What did you do!"

Her hand left a burning print on his pale freckled cheek.

"I-I di-didn't mean to!"

"You didn't mean to?" Jilly growled and slapped the boy again.

"I…was tryin' to fix it." Morgan's eyes welled with tears and they spilled down his face in big hot drops.

"Oh, you fixed it boy." Jilly grabbed him by his shoulder and he screamed out in pain. It was still badly bruised and sore from what she had done just a few days ago. She dragged him over to the mess on the floor and shoved his face into it like one might shove the snout of a dog into the puddle of pee it left on the floor. She grinded his face into the floor driving pieces of glass into his flesh and leaving a raw rug burn on his nose.

What kind of a fucking idiot was this boy? Jilly looked around at her destroyed living room as she dragged his face across the carpet. He wailed out for her begging her to stop. She tangled her fingers in his long red hair and jerked his head back.

"Mommy d-don't hurt me!" Morgan whimpered and trembled terrified of the woman. Pain shot up his neck from her sudden jerk and he felt like he was going to throw up. His hands and face throbbed with all the pieces of glass that bit into his flesh. The more and more she screamed at him the sicker he felt. Her voice shrilled in and out sometimes louder sometimes sounding farther away. Since the night she had stopped the van and hurt him, he couldn't always hear things right. Sometimes it was a blessing because he didn't have to hear her.

"…you're not going home, you are never going back there! This is where you live and you will learn that you don't fucking pull shit on me! Morgan what is your problem? I'm talking to you are you listening? Morgan!"

Jilly dug her fingers into his aching shoulder causing him to scream again. She whirled him around to face her, and her biting words fell short, her face grew pale.

"Oh…Morgan!" She gasped at her son's poor face. It had not been the prettiest to begin with, his black eye was still showing bruises although the swelling had gone down. But now his nose was rubbed raw from the carpet and blood dripped from wounds on his face. He cringed away from her and scooted backwards, driving more glass into his hands. "Morgan, come here. I-I have to clean you up."

His heart hammered against his sternum in fear. He wanted to get away from her and that was the only thought on his mind. He continued to scoot back wards over the rubble of the destroyed fish tank.

"Morgan, don't put your hand--"

His hand came down on a huge chunk of glass and the pointed tip speared his poor little hand. He burst out into sobs of pain. Jilly scooped him up and took him to the bathroom where she pulled the large piece away. Blood gushed from the wound in his hand and ran down his arm.

What have I done? Jilly tried not to panic when she saw all the blood. She knew his hand was going to need stitches but she couldn't take him to the hospital looking like he did. She was going to have to try to take care of it herself. She shook her head angry at herself for taking the thing too far. What was she thinking raking his face into the glass? She could put him in a long sleeved shirt and even put gloves onto his injured hands but if she left marks on his face she had less options of concealment. Make-up could work, but some of the cuts on his face would not be hidden so easily.

"It hurts…it hurts!" Morgan cried.

Jilly wiped at her own eyes. She hadn't meant to cause him this much grief, the boy had to learn but she too had to learn. She couldn't let her emotions over power her. She had to be smart and know when to let up. If she wasn't careful Morgan would be back with Matt for good and that she could not allow. She had many advantages to her but the marks she left on her son were not among them. If worst came to worst she would be as evil as she had to be. But in the meantime, she was going to have a long time to spend tweezing all the glass out of her son's hands and face.

Morgan couldn't sleep, despite his mother had given him children's Tylenol it didn't help with much of the pain he was in. He held one of his hands up and looked at it. It was swaddled in white gauze and tape. This was the one he had landed on the big piece of glass and some blood had seeped through the bandage staining it dark red. He couldn't raise his other hand because his shoulder hurt so badly. Every time he close his eyes and began to drift to sleep nightmares drifted upwards plaguing him with replays of his mother's tirades.

Morgan knew what he had to do, but he was scared. He needed to get back to his Dad and tell him what was happening. Morgan slid from his bed and grimaced as his shoulder griped at him. He tiptoed from his room and down the hall and past his mother's room where she was watching t.v., and into the kitchen. The cordless phone was on the counter in its cradle, he couldn't reach it. He couldn't get a chair to climb up on because it would make too much noise and alert her to his messing around. After struggling with his throbbing shoulder and hands he managed to climb up to the counter. He sat there looking down at the phone and closed his eyes hoping his dad would answer.

Despite his problems at home, Matt decided it was best to keep wrestling. Vince had offered him time off but time at home was only driving Matt crazy knowing his son was with that bitch of a woman when he should be with him and Blaze. Matt was in the ring against Finlay and taking much of his aggression out on the older man. He knew he shouldn't be using Finlay as a release but he couldn't very well hunt Jilly down and take her in a last man standing match. It wouldn't reflect very well to the judge. So instead he was giving Finlay a good fight, at least the Irishman could take it.

After a good bout in the ring, Matt pinned Finlay. Finlay staggered up to his feet and eyed the younger man with a kind of shocked awe. Normally the wrestlers tried to make their moves look as real as possible without actually hurting each other, but Matt had been fighting for real. Finlay had really enjoyed the match and he was defiantly impressed with Matt even more than before. He rested against the turnbuckle shaking his head as Matt paraded around the ring climbing onto the ropes and gaining cheers from the fans. Finlay at last got to his feet and extended his hand to Matt. The two shook hands, but Finlay couldn't get over this young man. He was so impressed with him that he draped an arm over his shoulders in a kind of half hug and patted Matt's chest.

The two made their way back to the locker room with Finlay praising him the whole way despite Matt's efforts to apologize.

Blaze passed them on the way out and briefly congratulated Matt on his victory before he faced his own opponent for the night, Mark Henry, for the ECW Championship. He was slated to lose to the big man, but there was going to be a storyline feud between the two resulting in a pay-per-view event where Blaze would win the title from Mark.

Matt showered and put on some fresh clothes and headed out with Jeff and a few others to grab something to eat. He didn't check his phone, but if he did, he would have found one missed call.

_Reviews greatly appreciated. Hugs to all!_


	17. Chapter 17: Twuz da Night Befo Christmas

_Brief plug, I have a new little story that is going to contain some things that were not included in my Jeff/Kody and Matt/Blaze fics such as Jeff's proposal to Kody, Kody telling Jeff she is pregnant, the birth of Harley, and others. It's not an actual story just glimpses into some events in their lives that I didn't include but may have referred to in the fics. This was inspired by iNdy MiLk who suggested that I write a oneshot about Jeff's proposal to Kody and him finding out she is pregnant. If you are a fan of my Jeff/Kody Matt/Blaze fics check it out and let me know what you think. As for the last chapter, thanks as always to my reviewers. This chapter is a bit more light hearted, thanks to Jeff. I hope you like it, I cracked up several times while doing it. I thought I needed to add a bit of silliness, after all we are spending Christmas with Jeff, Kody, and their kids so there is bound to be some goofiness with them. :) Thanks to my readers and reviewers whom I appreciate greatly: iNdy MiLk, extremeshan81, Dark Kaneanite, and FearlessHardy._

Chapter 17

Morgan remembered a time when he was excited for Christmas. Tonight was not that night. Jilly had made it clear that he was not going to be spending the holiday with his family but with her. He lay on his bed watching 'A Christmas Carol'. He wished that his mother would be visited by ghosts who showed her that she was a mean person. Maybe then she could change like Scrooge did at the end. Morgan seriously doubted that she would though. Speak of the devil—or rather think of her—Jilly peeked into his room to see what he was doing. He had been cooped up in there quiet for most of the evening.

"Hey sweetie." Jilly perched herself on the edge of his bed and reached out to stroke his fiery hair. The movement of her hand towards his face elicited a flinch from him. "Baby, Mommy isn't going to hurt you." _It is Christmas after all, and he is behaving decently. _"Are you excited to see what Santa brings you in the morning?"

Morgan shook his head back and forth and leaned back on his pillow. He picked up the remote in his left hand which was no longer bandaged. It was now covered in numerous tiny scabs that itched constantly. His other hand with the large gash was still very painful and Jilly had to keep changing the bandage and put medicine on it. He flipped the channels stopping on 'A Charlie Brown Christmas'.

"Why not?" Jilly asked raising a brow at the young boy. He scratched at his face which was likewise itchy from the many healing cuts. "Stop scratching, you'll tear the scabs off." She moved his hand away gently but his eyes still regarded her with suspicion and a bit of fear.

"Because, I already know that Santa isn't going to give me what I asked for. I guess he's not real." Morgan's beautiful green eyes became wet with tears.

"What did you want?"

There was a long pause between the two. Morgan fiddled with the buttons on the remote control and shrugged his good shoulder.

"Tell me."

Silence hung between them still only interrupted by the joyful music of Schroder playing piano as all the Peanut's characters danced around on a stage.

"Did you hear me?"

"What mom? I didn't hear you."

Jilly bit her lip nervously. She had noticed that he often did this, she had at first thought he was just being distracted and not paying attention. The longer it went on she realized his ear was giving him problems. _The one that she had hurt._ Her throat went dry. She couldn't take him to the doctor to have it checked, they might figure out that he had been hit. Maybe she could think of a decent enough excuse however. She could tell them he and his cousin fought a lot and the other boy hit him in the ear.

"Do you have trouble hearing sometimes?" Jilly asked as nicely as she could. To Morgan it just seemed over sweet the way some adults talk to kids in baby voices the same way they talk to their dogs. He regarded his mother skeptically. He was never sure of what she was going to do or when or why she might snap. At last he nodded his head in answer to her question. "We might have to see about that. But in the meantime, what was it you wanted for Christmas Morgan?"

"I…wanted…my Dad." Morgan pressed his lips together trying to still the bottom one from quivering and he squeezed his eyes shut tight. He held on for a few moments but at last a sob escaped from him and then the flood gates burst open. His uncontrollable wailing filled the room and sounded so tormented as though he were in some sort of harsh physical pain.

"Morgan, calm down. Ssh…"

Jilly tried to keep her composure. There was nothing that grated on her nerves more than his bawling and squalling. When she tried to comfort him, something she really had very little experience with, he quieted a bit but his chest heaved up and down and his breathing was choked and ragged. Snot and tears ran down his face. Jilly couldn't help but grimace.

"Wipe your damn nose kid."

When he didn't do that and just continued to cough and cry she wiped his face roughly with sleeve of her shirt.

"Ow."

"That didn't hurt…don't be a pussy."

_Jilly, you were trying to not be hurtful to him today…just let it go!_ She clenched her teeth together and gave a smile that even five year old Morgan could clearly judge as being fake.

"Mommy didn't mean that." Jilly tried as way of some sort of apology.

Morgan closed his eyes and drew his knees to his chest.

"What's a pussy?" He asked quietly looking at his mother's stern face through his tears. He sniffled his nose again and wiped it on his shirt.

_Something like you, a quivering scared little piece of shit._

"Just never mind." Jilly leaned over her son and kissed him good night.

Morgan fell into a fitful sleep as he had most nights since being forced away from his Dad and Blaze. Most of his dreams either made him wake up crying for his Dad or wake up cringing from his mother. He once had a dream that his mother was hitting him, and a demon summoned by The Undertaker had come and dragged her away from him. Then he was free to go back with Matt and Blaze.

"What!" Jilly snapped into the phone. Matt had once again called her. Ever since the night she had caught Morgan calling him on the phone Matt had began a barrage of phone calls. Jilly had been lucky enough to find the boy before he spilled his guts about what was going on, but she still had to explain away some things like why Morgan was crying to his father. That was pretty easily done. She just claimed that he was having nightmares as was not a lie. There were many times when he would show up in her doorway whimpering for some sort of comfort. She just pretended to be asleep and eventually he would go away back to his own bed or he would go to the living room and curl up on the couch with Gandalf, Jilly's Persian cat. Matt however, had not bought the story. He still believed there was something more lurking than bad dreams.

"Can't I at least talk to him? It's fucking Christmas eve!"

"He's asleep!" Jilly spat.

"Bullshit, you always say he's asleep or he's in the bathroom or he's out playing with the neighbor kids or some excuse. He's my son too Jilly!" Matt's voice became wobbly with his emotions. It made Jilly glad to know the ass hole was suffering.

"Until the judge makes a decision he is to stay with me."

On the other end of the phone Matt grinded his teeth together loudly. He wished he could reach through the phone and strangle the monster on the other end. Instead, he hung up on her. Fighting with her would get him nowhere. Matt unleashed a frustrated howl and threw his phone across the room, unfortunately Jeff was in the line of fire. The phone bounced off of his head and skidded across the floor. Jeff turned to his brother and rubbed his colorful head.

"Um…ow?"

"Sorry." Matt grumbled.

"This is the thanks I get for being an awesome little brother to you?" Jeff tried to tease but there was no hint of smile from his older brother.

"I said I was sorry." Matt griped and scowled down at his hands. He balled them into fists and swung at the air.

"Shadow boxing?" Jeff questioned. He held a sleeping Shawna in his lap and stroked her fair hair lovingly. She fidgeted a bit in her sleep and stuffed her thumb into her mouth. Jeff smiled down at her, completely infatuated.

"I'm killing her." Matt growled. "What kind of bitch doesn't let her son talk to his dad like that?"

"You're not killing her. You're killing innocent little dust particles."

Matt fell back onto the couch cushions and stared up at the ceiling. Wonderful smells drifted from the kitchen where Kody and Blaze were having fun making all sorts of wonderfully delicious and fattening treats. Matt figured he would go see what they were making and stuff his face with some of it, which was a bad habit of his when he got in a tremendously sour mood. In fact, he was already starting to get a bit pudgy from too much of Kody's food. It didn't really matter, he tried not to be sucked into the vortex of depression because he needed to keep strong for Morgan so he could get his son back…but things only seemed to get bleaker and bleaker. The judge for their custody case was everything Matt didn't need, an older woman, known to be very conservative. In fact, Matt's lawyer told him that she had disowned her sister when she came out as a lesbian. This was prompting Matt's attorney to try and get another judge based on the fact that this one was biased. The attorney however, was making little headway in her efforts.

Matt sniffed the scents on the air once more and continued his contemplation of whether or not he should wander off into the kitchen.

"Uncle Matt, y-you don't have t-to worry about anything."

Matt was side tracked from his thoughts by Harley who smiled up at him. The boy climbed up into his lap and wrapped his arms around his uncle's neck in a hug. Matt seemed surprised that Harley noticed something was wrong with him, he must have really been deep in his brooding.

"I know, you're u-ups-set about Mo-organ bein' gone. But I don't think the people will let him stay with his mom. Mor-organ told me she wasn't very nice."

"She's not very nice at all." Matt said quietly. "But unfortunately Big H, it's not that easy."

Harley leaned against his uncles chest and listened to his breathing and heartbeat. He didn't understand this whole thing that was going on with his cousin. Even he missed the red-headed demon. They had become such close friends, Morgan had shared many secrets with him. One of those was about his mom once hitting him right before she brought him to live with Matt. Harley didn't know just what to think when Morgan told him that. He could never imagine his mom smacking him at all, especially not hard enough to break one of his teeth. Why would somebody make Morgan live with a Mommy like that when he could live with Matt and Blaze?

"Chocolate!" Kody cried running into the living room with a plate of small round chocolates. She was way too excited and energetic, even Harley was not as hyper as she was and it was Christmas Eve. Jeff yawned and raised an eyebrow at his wife.

"Kody, I love you to death but if you stuff me with anymore sugar I'm going to spew." Jeff warned with a small laugh and a pat of his belly. Kody frowned.

"It's Christmas, you have to eat lots of Christmas candy and cookies! They're home-made cherry chocolates. Look, Blaze and I got them all perfect and round too, we even drizzled little red and white stripes on them for decorations. They're so cute! Harley don't you want one of Mommy and Blaze's candies?"

"You g-gave me the ones with that stuff i-in the middle and it was gross." The boy made a face that made Jeff laugh, disturbing Shawna who woke up and began to whine. "I don't want no more candies Mom."

"They were rum balls…and what kind of normal kid refuses chocolate? Do you have a fever?" Kody kidded her son and pressed a hand to his forehead as though checking for a fever.

"I'm not a normal kid, I'm a Ha-ardy! duh!" Harley rolled his eyes at his mother.

"Well then can I interest you my handsome young man?" This she said to Matt who was already eyeballing the candies. He took a couple and after savoring them he followed Kody back into the kitchen to see what else she and Blaze had whipped up.

"Daddy?" Shawna screwed a fist into her sleepy eyes. Jeff glanced over to Harley who was sprawled out on the couch cocooned in a fuzzy blanket and trying desperately not to nod off. "Daddy, story."

Jeff smiled down at his daughter and dropped a kiss on her forehead. He took his children into he and Kody's bedroom and tucked them into the big bed.

"I'm not tired Dad." Harley said before being attacked with a huge yawn. "I want to sta-ay up and see Sa-anta."

"Sanna?" Shawna grinned and clapped her small hands together. "Story!"

Jeff left to find a story book and came back to see Harley cuddled up with his sister like she was a teddy bear. Jeff slid under the covers next to his children and read to them.

"T'was the night before Christmas, and all through the house…"

"Dad this is the same story Sha-awna wanted you to read every single night this week! It's boring!" Harley yawned again and Shawna turned to her brother with a scowl crinkling her pretty face.

"Me story!" She grumped.

"I have an idea." Jeff got up from the bed and grabbed Kody's pink cap that was hanging from the doorknob. He put it on his head and turned it sideways and then got into a rapping stance.

"T'wuz da night befo' Christmas, and all through da hood cuz, not a creature was stirrin' not even da fuzz! Da stockin's wuz hung by da chimney playah, in hopes dat my homie Big S soon would be theyah. Da childrens wuz nestled all snug in de beds, while visions of X-boxes danced in de heads, me in my beater and my woman in her G-string…" Jeff paused. "Er, sorry kids…"

"Daddy wha-at's a g-string?"

"Never mind, boy you be interuptin' my stylin's!"

Harley and Shawna giggled.

"We wuz hopin' that Santa would drop uz some bling! When up on da rooftop de wuz such a loud noise, I thought de wuz comin' to take me to da big house so I called up my boys. Away to da window I flew to see what was goin' down, some sorry boy be out on my lawn like a clown! The moon glittered off da ground in a glow, like a buncha hot diamonds done fell in da snow, when what to my wonderin' eyes did appear? But a miniature sleigh and eight bitchin' reindeer."

"Dad…you sa-aid bitchin'." Harley laughed pressing his hands to his mouth, because he too had now said bitchin'.

"Sorry, won't happen again playah. I can't remember da rest of da words, yo." Jeff tucked Shawna and Harley under the covers and kissed their foreheads. "Good night guys, love ya."

Meanwhile, Kody and Blaze shrieked and chased each other around the kitchen having chocolate wars with the excess melted chocolate they had left. It splattered here and there on the appliances, cabinets, on the floor and on each other. They tried to get Matt to join in but he refused and just went to bed thinking of Morgan and wishing he could talk to him. T'was the night before Christmas at the Hardy house.

_Lol!! Of course Kody would bring chocolates to the rescue, chocolate fixes everything! :) Will Jilly give in and let Morg see his Daddy for Christmas? Jeff rapping part of T'was The Night Before Christmas? I would love to see that, actually I could picture Cena doing it, lol. :D Hope you all enjoyed the chapter. :) Hugs!_


	18. Chapter 18: The Gift

_Thank you for reviews for the last chapter. I want to apologize that the last couple of chapters were hard to read, they were hard for me to write too. I try to kind of let my fics write themselves and so that was just what wanted to be. I think this chapter will make you all much happier though. I'm sorry if I crossed the line or offended anyone, I know the scenes with Jilly hurting Morgan were brutal but the sad fact is children are hurt this way and worse every day. It would be nice if they could all have happy endings...but enough gloom...onto the next. :)_

Chapter 18

It was five o'clock in the morning and still she couldn't sleep. She had been up all night tossing and turning, the holidays were hard for her but this was even worse. She had fallen asleep and something happened that hadn't happened for a very long time. Jillanna had a dream about her father. She woke up clinging to her covers in a clod sweat, one arm rose up over her head as she shielded an imaginary blow. She could still smell the urine from her sister who peed on herself out of fright, she could smell her father's sour sweat, she gagged at the harsh bite of his breath laced with whiskey, it was his favorite.

Jilly had managed to push that monster out of her mind for a very long time. She had managed to forget that it was he who had made her the way she was. After seeing her mother, her sister, and herself treated so badly by a man she had vowed long ago as a fourteen year old girl that she would never allow a man to treat her so poorly. She would gain the upper hand, she would break him down before he got the chance. In one way she had thanked her father because he had made her strong. She had never been hurt by a man again after she flew the coop at age seventeen. But as she lay back on her pillows still shivering with fear, she felt sick to her stomach to realize something worse. She was becoming the thing that she loathed. She was making her son feel the same way her father made her feel, terrified, anxious, unloved, useless, angry. How did it come to this? Her need to control things had spiraled so out of her control. Why couldn't she have seen it? Pieces of the dream still haunted her, she had stuffed them away for so long she had nearly forgotten the cause of her hostilities towards men.

She closed her eyes and let the tears spill down her face. She was a monster just like her father. She didn't know what she could do to change it, she felt too far gone. Jilly rolled out of bed and felt dizzy and sick as she clutched her head. She padded across the room and rummaged around in her desk before pulling out some papers. She switched on a small table lamp and lowered herself in the chair. She couldn't allow her son to face the things she faced as a child, she couldn't allow him to grow up dysfunctional as she had, she couldn't allow herself to hurt him anymore.

"Dad, Dad wa-ake up!"

Jeff let out a groan as his son jumped on his belly. Shawna followed close behind climbing onto her dad's chest and pulling at his hair. Jeff growled and squinted over at the clock. He sighed loudly.

"Guys, it's five-thirty…can't this wait?"

"It's Christmas!" Harley yelled. He performed a flip off the bed and ran down the hallway his feet stomping loudly waking up Eddie who perked up and dashed off after the boy.

"Kissmiss Daddy!" Shawna squealed excitedly. She gave her Daddy a big kiss right on the lips. "Daddy up!"

Kody pried her daughter away from her groggy husband and the little girl screamed in protest. Her favorite word, 'no' filled the whole house as Kody took the little girl into the living room.

Soon Jeff was dragging his butt to the bathroom yawning and rubbing his droopy eyes. Blaze, who was just as excitable as the children, scurried into the living room slipping and sliding in his socks before landing with a 'thunk' on his rear right in front of the Christmas tree.

"Whoah guys, look at all the gifts!"

Harley and Shawna cheered happily and climbed all over their uncle.

"Which one are you going to open first?"

"That one!" Harley pointed to a large gift wrapped in gold paper with an enormous red bow. "No, th-at one!" He changed his mind and pointed to a smaller one wrapped in glittering blue paper and a silver bow.

"Present! Present!" Shawna screeched noisily in Blaze's ear. He pulled the girl off of his shoulders and tickled her.

"You want presents? That's what you want? How about tickles!"

Shawna's happy giggles and screaming filled up the whole house. Matt dragged himself into the front room, his dark hair frizzed out and his eyes still showed that he was sleepy.

"You are noisy child." He said to Shawna whose face lit up when she saw him.

"Maggy!" She clapped her hands together and squirmed away from Blaze's tickling fingers.

"It's Matt…can you say Matt, Shawna?" Blaze tried. The little girl tilted her blond head at him and yelled.

"Maggy!"

Meanwhile Kody had called Legend to let him know the kids were awake. After a yawn he asked: All ready? Soon he was coming through the door with even more gifts and the kids bombarded him.

"Grandpa, grandpa!"

"Got anything for your favorite son?" Jeff teased as he took some packages from Legend and placed them near the tree—he couldn't very well place them under the tree—it was already over flowing.

Matt watched as his niece and nephew tore into their gifts. Shawna was having more fun tearing up the wrapping paper than finding out what she had got. Eddie nosed his way in and he and Shawna played tug-of-war with a strand of ribbon. Mimicking the little dog, Shawna stuck the other end in her mouth and made growling sounds. The adults laughed, except Matt who was watching Harley's face light up as he unwrapped a toy. He closed his eyes not wanting to cry and ruin everyone elses holiday. Blaze found his hand and squeezed it and offered a few words of encouragement. When that didn't seem to help Blaze draped his arm over Matt's shoulder.

"Hey, do you want to go outside for a minute?"

Matt nodded and Blaze followed him to the door. Before the reached it, there was a knock.

"Probably Shanny dropping off some stuff for the kids." Matt mumbled as he reached for the doorknob. He was more than surprised when he saw Jilly holding a sleeping Morgan in her arms. Her eyes were red and swollen as though she had been crying. Her usual grimace was absent and instead she just looked empty and tired. Matt was caught completely off guard and didn't know whether to scream at her or burst into tears. It seemed like forever since he had seen his son and the worry had been gnawing at him that he might be reduced to seeing him on weekends only.

"I need to talk to you for a minute." Jilly said with a sniff of her nose. Matt turned to the rest of his family and for the first time he noticed they had all gone silent and stopped in the middle of everything they were doing to turn and stare at the woman who had entered.

"Morgan…" Matt pulled the child from his mother's arms and was prepared to squeeze him in a never ending hug when his eyes caught sight of his son's poor face. Morgan woke up and blinked his tired eyes.

"Dad? Daddy!"

Matt touched his son's face gingerly. Morgan cringed at his touch. Matt's hands began to tremble uncontrollably and he balled them into tight fists. A scowl appeared on his face that would put the Undertaker to shame.

"What did you do to my son!" Matt bellowed filling the whole room with his enraged cry.

"M-Matt, before you get angry…it won't happen again."

Matt took a step towards her fixing to murder her right on the spot. He stopped when Jilly shoved something into his chest. He looked down to see a box pressed to his shirt. His anger became mixed with confusion. He looked up at Jilly for answers and saw only tears sliding down her face.

"I need helpt." She cried. "I don't want to hurt him anymore…merry Christmas Matthew."

Jilly bent and kissed her son's head and ruffled his fiery hair.

"Bye Morgan."

She left Matt standing stunned. Morgan latched on to his father's legs in a hug and vowed that he would never, ever, let go. They would have to get the jaws of life to pry him away from his father.

"Well, what is it!" Jeff hopped over the back of the couch and ran over to his brother who held the small box in his hands.

"I don't trust her." Kody growled. "Who knows what she put in there."

Matt untied the ribbon and let it flutter to the ground. He tore of the wrapping paper and tossed it to the floor where Eddie picked it up in his mouth and ran off with it.

"Wait, there was a card." Blaze bent to pick up a small card that had been affixed to the package. He handed it to Matt who read the words and burst into tears. He turned the box upside down and pieces of torn paper fell like snow and littered the floor. He turned to his family and tried to read the words aloud to them but found he was too overwhelmed to do so. Instead, he handed it to Blaze.

"Matthew, I am dropping the custody suit. I'm meeting with my lawyer after the first of the year to arrange to give up my parental rights and then you will be his sole guardian. Merry Christmas."

Kody copied Jeff's earlier move of flying over the back of the couch. She flung herself onto her husband and cheered for joy. The whole house erupted in elated shouts and all the adults were in tears.

"What does it mean?" Morgan asked as Matt hoisted him up into the air and spun him around.

"You're staying!" Matt laughed and cried. "You're staying with us Morgan!"

The whole family surrounded Matt and Morgan in a huge Hardy group hug.

After a good twenty minutes of congratulations, hugs, cheers, crying, and celebration, the family returned to the gifts under the Christmas tree, although they didn't seem to matter very much now. The real gift was something that couldn't be wrapped in a box or dropped down the chimney by a jolly man in red. The real gift was family and now it was complete.

_Please let me know what you thought of this chapter and the story as a whole. I am very humbled and grateful to get the amount of reviews I did. I noticed they kind of dropped off when things started getting harsh between Jilly and Morgan and I think that is because it is just hard to read about that. I hope over all you all enjoyed this. I hope that the people in the stories (other than Jilly) are not becoming old because I love them very much...and hope to continue writing about them and their lifes if I will still have readers willing to read about them. I think my Shan muse is begging for a story...and he does have a little one on the way :D Once again, many many thanks for the reads and reviews and thank you for sticking with Matt and Morgan (and me!) through it all :)_


End file.
